Tiffany & Co. collaborates with Kendrick Lamar to create an unprecedented piece of jewelry
With a titanium crown and eight thousand diamonds, a relentless artist's vision is manifested in Tiffany & Co. High Jewelry.
Kendrick Lamar, the renowed rapper and songwriter, appeared on stage at Glastonbury on June 26 with an unexpected piece bearing the Tiffany & Co. signature: a crown of thorns, arguably the most recognizable symbol in religious iconography.
Featuring more than eight thousand diamonds (more than 137 total carats), the result of 10 months of craftsmanship by Tiffany's most accomplished craftsmen in a workshop in northen italy, the inimitable piece is much more than a statement of art and luxury; For the "Humble" singer, the product of his collaboration with one of the world's most prestigious jewelry houses is a symbol of respect for the artists who came before him and his link to Lamar's own influence on musical and cultural dimensions.
An object full of symbolism and meaning, whose history began when Lamar and David Free, his creative collaborator and co-funder of pgLang, first approached the firm's design team in 2021 with a clear vision. An eternal and sacred emblem, the Crown of Thorns as the central idea became a metaphor for "artistic powess, humility and perseverance", whose creative process was deeply linked with another key inspiration: the Thorns brooch by Jean Schlumberger, who he designed a 47-carat sapphire surrounded by 18-carat yellow gold thorns in 1947 before joining Tiffany & Co. Today, that one-of-a-kind creation is on display at Vision & Virtuosity in London from August 19.
For the luxury house, it is the identity of a musician like Lamar that aligns with everything that defines Tiffany & Co.: a vision fueled by risk-taking and innovative creativity for nearly two centuries. And yes, the firm has also manufactured special headdresses by hand since the end of the 19th century and for this occasion, with a bold character, an unimaginable piece is created with a work of more than 1,300 hours.
Which it was the result? Highly polished titanium, cast from 14 individual components assembled into the final piece, brings to life a masterpiece weighing 200 grams. Gemstones with diamonds in various sizes are grouped in a symphony of brilliance made in micropavé using know-how exclusively reserved for High Jewellery. Normally, the tines are cast in place, but in this piece the artisans set each diamond in place, then cut the metal and bent it over to create the tines in a total of 50 thorns that combine straight and thick thorns.
