Drake buys Tupac Shakur’s $1 million crown ring at auction

By Kim Parker

Almost three decades after his untimely passing, the multi-hyphenate musician Tupac Shakur is still making headlines. This time, it’s because his jewellery has smashed a world record at auction.

A gold, ruby and diamond ring with crown detailing once owned by the rapper and worn by him during his last public appearance in 1996 has just been auctioned by Sotheby’s New York for over US$1 million, making it the most valuable hip hop-related artefact ever sold. The piece was offered for sale by Yaasmyn Fula – godmother, money manager and advisor to the ‘California Love’ singer – who helped Shakur liaise with jewellers in New York to get it designed.

According to Fula, the ring represented “an act of self-coronation” for Shakur and was modelled after the crowns of medieval European kings. It is set with 10 carats of cabochon rubies – gemstones chosen for their long connection with royalty and nobility – and pavé diamonds, arranged as a gold circlet on top of a central gold band. It was inscribed with the words ‘Pac & Dada, 1996’ as a reference to the rapper’s engagement to the actress and designer, Kidada Jones. According to Sotheby’s New York, it is the only piece that belonged to the singer to have been auctioned with a direct provenance, and the only piece designed by him to have ever been offered for sale.

Originally marked with an estimate between US$200,000 – $300,000, the ring eventually sold for a whopping US$1,016,000 after a ferocious bidding war. Fellow musician Drake later outed himself as the successful bidder, taking to his Instagram stories to show off his record-breaking purchase.

The ‘Know Yourself’ singer is a renowned jewellery and watch collector and has amassed an enormous range of pieces including a diamond-encrusted white gold Rolex Sky-Dweller, an untold number of diamond necklaces (including a £10 million necklace dedicated to his 42 exes, designed by the jeweller Alex Moss) and multiple Cartier Love bangles. Earlier this year, he was spotted in a music video wearing Pharell Williams’ iconic N.E.R.D necklaces, which Williams had sold through his new online auction platform, Joopiter.

Like this? Take a look at Drake’s £10 million engagement ring necklace.