Erika Jayne shared where she stands with The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast following the production of season 12 at BravoCon over the weekend.
In addition to offering an update on her friendship with Kyle Richards, who accused Erika’s publicist of leaking stories about her sister, Kathy Hilton, on the finale episode, and teasing her “own experience” with Kathy, Erika denied her $750,000 earrings are headed to the auction block — even though the company set to auction them off tells a very different story.
“We’re good,” Erika confirmed during an October 14 interview with Access Hollywood of herself and Kyle. “And I think the great thing about being friends with Kyle for so long is that we know really where each other stands and we don’t want to fight either, and so you move things around and try to make up as fast as possible.”
Erika’s also in a great place with the rest of the cast.
“I am fine with everyone, and I’m fine with where I stand. I come to this experience with an open heart, and I tell the truth, and that’s it,” she explained.
That said, RHOBH season 12 was “a lot” for Erika, who has been plagued by legal issues for about two years straight, to handle.
“It was a lot to make it, a lot to live through. It’s been two very tough years for me for sure,” she admitted. “There wasn’t enough fun. I felt like there was a lot of high-stakes drama, and I would like to see fun Erika… I would like to get to a place in my life where I could have fun and feel good, but it’s been tough.”
When Erika was then asked if she felt Lisa Rinna exaggerated her account of Kathy’s meltdown in Aspen, she didn’t skip a beat, saying, “No,” and proceeding to tease the upcoming reveal of new information.
“I have my own experience, which I didn’t think you’ve seen yet, and so I have my own things to say,” she explained. “Everyone is here to say what happened to them and what they saw.”
During another interview, Erika was asked about her earrings heading to auction and responded by saying they’re “not.”
“They’re on appeal,” she told Us Weekly at BravoCon. “We’ll see what happens.”
As RHOBH fans will recall, Erika turned over the earrings over the summer after Judge Barry Russell ruled that “settlement funds from the trust account created for a class action handled by [her estranged husband Thomas Girardi]’ firm Girardi Keese were used to pay for the diamond earrings.” However, at the time of his ruling, the judge said he didn’t believe Erika “was aware the earrings were stolen property.”
One month later, Erika filed an appeal in hopes of reclaiming the jewelry.
But amid the legal proceedings, it was confirmed by the company tapped to sell Erika’s belongings, as well as those of Thomas, that an auction has been set for December 7.
“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 Page Six. “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.”
“What an exciting moment to have these and to own these,” he added. “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.”
Although Thomas purchased Erika the earrings in 2007, reportedly with funds from his former clients, for $750,000, they have been rumored to have a value of around $1.4 million. However, gemologist Mollie Burns Keith, who runs the jewelry department at John Moran Auctioneers, said the jewels have not been appraised since 2004 and that the rumored value is an “unfounded number” and “based on clearly nothing.”
She also noted that they’ll receive a new GIA report before the auction.
“The original grading was done in 2004, and those need to be updated,” she explained.
While Erika could bid on them herself, Stephen noted that she will have to go “through the pre-approval process to verify funds,” just as other first-time bidders have to do.
As for Erika’s pending appeal, Stephen confirmed all legalities related to the appeal will be “settled” by the December 7 auction date.
“There will not be a moment in which the [highest bidder] will have to give [the earrings] back,” he shared. “The title will be passed to them according to the terms of the bankruptcy court.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 12 reunion continues with part three on Wednesday, October 26, at 8/7c on Bravo.