Paris: Nearly a decade after being bound, gagged, and robbed at gunpoint in her Paris hotel room, Kim Kardashian returned to the city not just to testify—but to make a powerful statement. On May 13, 2025, the reality star and entrepreneur appeared in court wearing an estimated $8 million in jewelry, signaling what experts say is a bold reclaiming of personal agency in the face of past trauma.
According to jewelry expert Laura Taylor from Lorel Diamonds, Kim’s accessories included an $8,100 diamond-studded 18-karat white gold ear cuff by Briony Raymond and a striking emerald-cut diamond ring resembling the stolen 20-carat piece Kanye West gave her during their marriage. She also wore a diamond necklace and multiple earrings, all of which stood in stark contrast to her black outfit—an ensemble that seemed designed to draw attention to the sparkle.
The symbolic weight of her choice wasn’t lost on observers. “She is no longer letting the trauma dictate what she wears or how she shows up,” Taylor explained. “This isn’t about showing off wealth—it’s about closure, control, and confronting fear head-on.”
In court, Kim gave an emotional account of the night of October 3, 2016, when masked robbers posing as police officers broke into her private apartment inside the Hôtel de Pourtalès. She was alone, resting in a robe, when she heard what she initially thought was her sister Kourtney returning from a night out. The sudden silence and footsteps up the stairs quickly turned into terror.
Kim recalled the moment in past episodes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, describing how her “stomach just kind of knots up” when something feels wrong. As the door opened, she saw who she thought were officers, only to discover they were thieves holding down the hotel concierge. One assailant entered, took her phone, and threw her onto the bed.
“I said a prayer for my family and my mom and my sister and best friend,” Kim testified. “I absolutely did think I was gonna die.”
The attackers tied her up, placed her in the bathtub, and stole more than $10 million worth of jewelry, including her iconic engagement ring. French authorities eventually arrested 17 suspects in January 2017. Five now face charges of armed robbery and kidnapping, while five others are accused of aiding in the crime.
Though most of the stolen jewels were never recovered, Kim’s decision to wear similar pieces at trial seems to mark a turning point. For years after the robbery, she abandoned flashy accessories altogether. “After I was robbed in Paris,” Kim said in a 2023 episode of The Kardashians, “I haven’t bought jewelry.” She had contemplated giving it up entirely.
That trauma deeply influenced her lifestyle and public appearances, but now she appears to be reclaiming what was taken—physically, emotionally, and symbolically.
"I'm obviously emotional about it," she told the court on May 13. "This experience changed my life and it changed my family’s life." When one of the defendants had an apology letter read aloud, Kim responded with grace: “I forgive you for what has taken place, but it doesn’t change the emotion and the feelings and the trauma. The way my life is forever changed.”
Her testimony echoed earlier public reflections she shared in 2017, when she broke her silence on KUWTK. In one confessional, Kim recounted lying in bed as the attackers entered, feeling frozen with fear and unsure how to call emergency services in a foreign country. “It makes me so upset to think about it,” she said, “but like, either they’re going to shoot me in the back, or if I make it and they don’t, there’s no way out.”
Despite the material loss, Kim has long stated that the jewelry itself “is all replaceable.” What remained was the trauma and fear—feelings that, as of now, she seems intent on confronting directly.
Before her KUWTK episode on the robbery aired in 2017, Kim explained her choice to share her story through the show rather than an interview. “I have always shared so much,” she wrote on Instagram, alongside the last family photo she took in Paris. “I'm not going to hold back when this was probably one of the most life-changing experiences for me.”
Today, that commitment to transparency and strength is on full display. Her courtroom presence—sparkling with diamonds, standing before the very men accused of violating her peace—was more than fashion. It was a message: she survived, she’s still standing, and she’s taking her power back, one stone at a time.
