Sotheby’s has shared plans to auction a gold, ruby and diamond ring belonging to the late hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur. The crown-shaped ring– which is currently valued between $200,000 and $300,000 on the auction house’s website–will serve as the third installment of Sotheby’s 50th-anniversary hip-hop series, which features art, clothing and artifacts that are significant to the genre.
According to Sotheby’s listing, the ring commemorates Shakur’s engagement to actress Kidada Jones and includes the inscription “Pac & Dada 1996.” The listing also details the rapper’s meticulous design process behind the piece, stating that the ring– which features 10 carats of cabochon rubies and pavé diamonds– was “modeled after the crowns of medieval European kings in ‘an act of self-coronation.’”
Notably, Shakur was documented wearing the ring during his final public appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York City on Sept. 4, 1996. Three days after the awards show, the rapper was shot by an unknown gunman in Las Vegas, consequently resulting in his Sept. 13 passing.
Sotheby’s paid tribute to the rapper’s life and legacy on their website, writing that “While Tupac’s global impact on music and culture cannot be understated, neither can the effect of his look. Pac’s particular sense of style redefined ‘cool’ for the 90s—when everybody wanted to look like him, and a quick examination of 21st-century streetwear trends proves that many of us still do.”
The description continued, “Free and clear Tupac property with documented direct provenance rarely appears on the market in any category — to our knowledge, this is the only piece of jewelry belonging to him to come to market with direct provenance, and certainly the only piece designed by him to have been offered for sale.”
The ring, which was acquired by Sotheby’s from the personal collection of Yaasmyn Fula, will be available for online auction on Sotheby’s website from July 18 through 24. It will also be on view at Sotheby’s New York for the duration of the auction.
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