From Jackie Kennedy’s Watch to Princess Diana’s Cross Pendant, Inside Kim Kardashian’s Museum

By Emily Chan

It seems that Kim Kardashian has flown all the way to Tokyo in order to get her hands on the dazzling diamond and gemstone necklace from Chanel’s spring 1995 collection, complete with interlocking Cs and tear-drop pearls, that features in Greta Gerwig’s record-breaking Barbie movie.

For those of us who have been following Kardashian’s growing jewelry collection, it comes as no surprise that she would want to acquire the statement piece so soon after the film came out. While all of fashion’s favorite It-girls collect vintage pieces nowadays, this savvy businesswoman (who memorably wore Marilyn Monroe’s glittering Jean Louis dress to the 2022 Met Gala) takes it to the next level, via an archive that would be fit for any museum.

Case in point: earlier this year, Kardashian was revealed to be the proud owner of Princess Diana’s Attallah Cross necklace, which the royal wore at a charity ball in London in 1984, after bidding $197,453 for it at auction. “We are delighted that this piece has found a new lease of life within the hands of another globally famous name,” Kristian Spofforth, Sotheby’s London’s head of jewelry, said at the time.

Kim Kardashian recently bought the Chanel gemstone and diamond necklace from spring 1995 that appears in the Barbie movie, along with a pink Chanel vanity case.

Clearly drawn to important pieces in fashion history, Kardashian also bid $379,500 for Jackie Kennedy’s Cartier Tank watch at a Christie’s auction in 2017. Engraved with “Stas to Jackie” on the back, the timepiece was gifted to the first lady by her brother-in-law, Stanislaw “Stas” Radziwill. Kardashian later revealed that she wore the watch when she met former US president Donald Trump at the White House in 2019, telling Vogue: “It gave me some power: let’s get in there and get this done!”

Kardashian is also the proud owner of Jackie Kennedy’s Cartier Tank watch, which she paid

The Skims founder also recently bought Princess Diana’s Attallah Cross necklace, which the royal wore at a charity ball in London in 1984.

Kardashian’s penchant for auction hunting actually began more than a decade ago, when she spent $65,000 on three gold and jade bangles by Lorraine Schwartz, which previously belonged to her “idol” Elizabeth Taylor.

It seems that the love of collecting runs in the family, too, with Kardashian buying her daughter, North, a custom velvet jacket that was worn by Michael Jackson to Taylor’s 65th birthday (see the connections?) from Julien’s Auctions in 2019 for $65,625. She also bought a white fedora hat that Jackson wore in his “Smooth Criminal” music video for North, along with a pair of Elvis Presley’s rings for her brother Rob for $15,000 in 2020.

What will Kardashian acquire next? We’re betting on Carrie Bradshaw’s feathered bridal headpiece, which is going up for sale at Sotheby’s next month with a price tag of between $40,000 and $70,000.