On June 27, American luxury jewelry brand Tiffany & Co. and Grammy Award-winning rapper and artist Kendrick Lamar created an exclusive custom "Crown of Thorns."
According to Tiffany & Co. Creative Director Ruba Abu-Nimah, the crown was handmade by four master craftsmen over a period of 10 months, totaling 1,300 hours, weighing about 200 grams, and decorated with more than 8,000 diamonds arranged in a unique pebble shape to maximize the overall luster of the crown.
The "Crown of Thorns" consists of 16 independent parts, and this time the master craftsmen use the classic technique of fine jewelry, first setting each diamond in the right place, and creating 14 titanium castings in a workshop in New York City to form 50 "rose thorns", which are then assembled in northern Italy.
The crown also bears the inscription "Mr. Morale," which refers to Kendrick Lamar's latest fifth album, Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, which debuted on the cover of the album.
Alexandre Arnault, Tiffany's Vice President of Product and Communications, said: "Kendrick Lamar's art, boldness and innovation have defined the Tiffany brand for nearly two centuries, and we are thrilled to partner with such a visionary creative to achieve his vision. ”
In 2021, Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free, co-founder of his creative company pgLang, presented Tiffany with a concrete vision for the crown and drew inspiration from the brand's legendary designer Jean Schlumberger's Thorns brooch (right below), a historic brooch centered with a 47-carat sapphire. It is currently on display at Tiffany's "Vision & Virtuosity Craftsmanship" exhibition in London.
Last week, Kendrick Lamar wore the "Crown of Thorns" to the Paris Fashion Week runway and the Glastonbury Festival in the UK.