A gold, ruby, and diamond ring that 2Pac wore during his last public appearance will be auctioned by the luxury auction house Sotheby’s. The third in a series dedicated to hip-hop in conjunction with its 50th anniversary, the auction features original art, historic studio equipment, sneakers and jackets, archival flyers and posters, rare artifacts, and more. Check out photos of the late rapper’s ring below.
2Pac designed the ring—meant to commemorate his engagement to Kidada Jones—and included the inscription “Pac & Dada 1996.” The crown-shaped ring comprises a gold circlet studded with a central cabochon ruby, flanked by two pavé-cut diamonds, sitting atop a diamond-encrusted gold band. Sotheby’s says the ring was typically worn on his left-hand ring finger; abrasions on the palm-facing left side of the ring indicate where it likely came into regular contact with his pinky ring.
2Pac was wearing the ring when he attended the MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York on September 4, 1996. He was shot three days later in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada; he would succumb to his injuries within a week.
The ring is expected to fetch between $200,000 and $300,000 at auction. The online auction is open from July 18-25, and there will be a public exhibition on display at Sotheby’s New York from July 18-24.
Earlier this year, FX aired Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur, a documentary series exploring 2Pac’s life and relationship with his mother, Afeni Shakur.
