Kim Kardashian’s Dramatic Trial Jewelry Was a ‘Powerful’ Expression of ‘Defiance’

A verdict is expected today, May 23, in the trial of those accused of breaking into Kim Kardashian’s Paris hotel room in 2016 and stealing millions of dollars worth of the reality star’s jewelry.

Ten people stand accused of either carrying out or aiding the high-profile robbery, which took place when the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star was in the city for Paris Fashion Week nearly a decade ago. 

Kim Kardashian feared she would be ‘shot dead’ during 2016 Paris robbery 

Last week, Kardashian herself took the stand for nearly five hours to testify about the terrifying robbery. Through an interpreter, the mom of three spoke about believing she would be raped and murdered during the ordeal and her fear that her sister, Kourtney Kardashian, might return to the hotel suite and find her dead.

“I would be dead on the bed, shot dead, and she would see that and have that memory forever,” she said, according to E! News. 

While Kardashian occasionally became emotional during her marathon court appearance, her look projected confidence and power, in part due to her decision to wear several impressive pieces of statement jewelry that resembled items she lost in the robbery. (Most of the stolen jewelry was never recovered.) An expert estimated the value of the various pieces at around $7 million.

“Kim Kardashian’s decision to wear such high-value diamond pieces, most notably the 52-carat diamond necklace, was a deliberate and powerful statement in the courtroom,” Tobias Kormind, managing director for Europe’s largest online diamond jeweler, 77 Diamonds, told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. 

‘The Kardashians’ star turned a moment of vulnerability into ‘one of empowerment’ 

Kardashian paired her chic all-black vintage John Galliano suit with “refined jewelry that underscored the gravity and personal significance of the occasion,” Kormind said. Particularly striking was her choice to wear a massive diamond ring, which was reminiscent of her engagement ring from then-husband Kanye West that was taken during the theft. By doing that, she “turned a moment of past vulnerability into one of empowerment.” 

“Her look sets a precedent,” Kormind added, “positioning statement jewelry not just as accessories, but as a form of emotional expression and defiance.”

Prosecutors are seeking a 10-year sentence for four of the accused robbers, per the BBC. Six other people accused of being accessories to the crime face between six and eight years if convicted. 

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