If you’ve seen Kendrick Lamar out and about recently—rapping at the Louis Vuitton 2023 menswear fashion show, headlining Glastonbury or even on his latest album cover—then you’ve noticed his one-of-a-kind crown of thorns custom designed by the famed jewelry house Tiffany & Co.
Lamar worked together with his longtime creative collaborator and pgLang co-founder Dave Free to commission the piece from the venerable jeweler. The pair approached Tiffany's design team in 2021 with the idea for a headpiece inspired by the “Crown of Thorns,” which, according to them, is a metaphor for artistic prowess, humility and perseverance. Four Tiffany artisans worked on the design process, with the spiky tiara taking 10 months and over 1,300 hours to come to life. Weighing 200 grams, the crown, with 50 rose-like thorns, is composed of titanium dotted with over 8,000 diamonds (with a total weight of 137 total carats).
“Kendrick Lamar represents the artistry, risk-taking creativity, and relentless innovation that has also defined Tiffany & Co. for nearly two centuries, we are proud and incredibly excited to work with a visionary like Kendrick in realizing his vision for the crown,” said Alexandre Arnault, Executive Vice President, Product and Communication, Tiffany & Co., of the brand's collaboration with the Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers rapper.
Below, check out the behind-the-scenes video from Tiffany & Co. of the creation of Lamar's jeweled headpiece.
