Want to own a piece of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills history? You could be the next owner of Erika Jayne’s notorious $1.4 million earrings. Earlier this month, we learned that a judge called for the reality star’s earrings to be auctioned off, and according to a report from Page Six, the time to start placing bids is quickly approaching.
If you’re worried about having to fork over $1.4 million, don’t worry, you have a few more weeks to save up your coins. According to the report, the earrings head to auction on December 7th. So, you can snag these up for that special someone on your Christmas list.
Although Erika filed an appeal to try to hang onto the earrings, the auction house expects all of the court proceedings to be settled by the live auction date, so they’re moving full steam ahead with preparing for bidding.
“They are quite possibly the most talked about jewelry in the world at the moment, which adds kind of an unknown excitement and interest factor,” Stephen Swan, vice president of John Moran Auctioneers, told the outlet.
“We haven’t established a starting bid yet, but because it’s a court-ordered sale, the starting bid is going to be very attractive,” he explained.
Of course, Erika has claimed that her disgraded ex-husband Tom Girardi paid $750,000 for each earring. However, we might not have to pay that much when it comes time for the auction. The gemologist for the auction house called Erika’s $1.4 million figure to be an “unfounded number” that’s “based on clearly nothing.”
The shady gemologist continued, “The original grading was done in 2004, and those need to be updated.”
The auction house predicts that once the appraisal is completed, the updated price tag of the notorious earrings will come out lower than the dollar amount Erika has been tossing around. Still, they think the pop culture relevance associated with the diamond earrings will play a factor in the starting bid.
“What an exciting moment to have these and to own these,” the auction house president said to Page Six. “They are definitely a phenomenon in our culture right now, and what better of a dinner party conversation-starter than to be able to show them off.”
All of the proceeds from the sale will be given to Tom’s bankruptcy trustee, and whoever ends up with these earrings will have to verify to the auction house that they can actually afford them.
“If you are a first-time bidder and don’t have history with us and are looking to bid on higher-value objects, we do ask for either proof of funds, possibly a deposit, verification, or proof that you have bid at another auction house,” they explained. “We’re just making sure that you aren’t going to bid and then walk away from this.”
The Los Angeles-based auction house will begin accepting absentee bids online and in person next month. And when its’ time for the live auction in December, bidders can either attend in-person or join virtually, as long as your checkbook is ready. Maybe we’ll see Diana Jenkins bid on these bad boys since she recently took an interest in donating funds to help Tom’s victims. Or perhaps the earrings will end up in Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live clubhouse? Only time will tell, but we’ll definitely be tuning in to see what finally happens to these legendary earrings.
TELL US – AFTER ALL OF THIS TIME, ARE YOU SURPRISED TO HEAR THE AUCTION HOUSE CALL THE $1.4 MILLION AN “UNFOUNDED NUMBER?” IF YOU HAD THE MONEY, WOULD YOU BID ON ERIKA JAYNE’S EARRINGS?
[Photo Credit: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for SiriusXM]