2Pac's self-designed gold, ruby and diamond crown ring to be auctioned at Sotheby's
It's estimated to sell for more than $200,000
A gold, ruby and diamond ring that 2Pac wore during his last public appearance is set to be auctioned by luxury auction house Sotheby's.
It will be sold as part of the third auction in a series dedicated to the recognised 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop. Other items set to be sold in the auction include original art, rare memorabilia, historic studio equipment, archival flyers and posters, and various items of clothing.
2Pac designed the ring himself and it was made to commemorate his engagement to Kidada Jones with an inscription of "Pac & Dada 1996" included on it. Shaped like a crowd, it features a gold circlet studded with a central cabochon ruby. There are also two pavé-cut diamonds included, which sit on top of a diamond-encrusted gold band.
The ring is expected to fetch between $200,000 and $300,000 at auction. The online auction is open from 18th-25th July, and there will be a public exhibition on display of the ring and other items included in the auction at Sotheby's New York from 20th-24th July.
Sotheby's says the late rapper usually wore the item on his left-hand ring finger, and abrasions on the palm-facing left side of the ring show where it likely came into regular contact with his pinky ring.
He was wearing the ring when he attended the MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York on 4th September, 1996. He was shot three days later in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada, and died some days after that.
Find the ring listing here.
Last year, Sotheby's sold 2Pac's book of childhood poetry and illustrations. An immersive 2Pac museum experience opened in Los Angeles last year.
In 2021, it was reported that a rare collection of Tupac Shakur photos are to be sold as NFTs. The never-before-published images were taken in the midst of a release party for the legendary rapper's landmark debut album, '2Pacalypse Now', in 1992.
