On one hand, great craft takes time: Tiffany & Co.’s collaboration with musician Kendrick Lamar and his creative collaborator Dave Free on a custom-made titanium and pavé-diamond crown of thorns started in 2021, and the crown itself required more than 10 months to design and create.
On the other hand, commentary is instantaneous: When the venerable jeweler posted photos and videos of the crown on Monday on Instagram and YouTube respectively, the reaction was extreme and divided, with many people noting the crown’s resemblance to the crown Jesus Christ wears in three gospel stories in the Bible.
Of the typical 50 or 60 comments on an average Tiffany Instagram post in the past week, the photo showing the crown in a Tiffany box received more than 5,000, with many Instagram commenters saying the design was disrespectful and sacrilegious. A photo of Lamar wearing the crown during his performance in Glastonbury on Sunday received more than 2,100 comments, mostly negative.
YouTube’s take on the piece had about 200 comments, many noting Lamar’s personal faithfulness and how he intended the crown to be a symbol of his art and personal journey. Lamar had shared photos of himself wearing the crown in May on Instagram, and it is on the cover of his latest album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.
Interestingly, the first question on Google when you search for Lamar is, “Why did Kenrick Lamar wear a crown of thorns?” According to media reports, Lamar told Glastonbury’s audience: “I wear this crown,” he said. “They judge Christ. They judge you, they judge Christ.”
Jewelry influencers on Instagram shared the crown, and followers seemed split on whether it was pure art or pure controversy. At one point, an Instagram story by jewelry blogger Tracey Ellison about the piece had 52% of voters saying, “It’s fantastic!” while 48% said, “It’s bad!”
Tiffany itself stayed neutral on the crown and its design story, sharing a prewritten statement about its creation with JCK.
“Kendrick Lamar represents the artistry, risk-taking creativity, and relentless innovation that has also defined Tiffany & Co. for nearly two centuries,” Alexandre Arnault, Tiffany executive vice president, product and communications, said in a statement “We are proud and incredibly excited to work with a visionary like Kendrick in realizing his vision for the crown.”
Lamar and Free, who is the singer’s longtime creative collaborator in their company pgLang, commissioned Tiffany to create the crown, which features 50 thorns of varying shapes and more than 8,000 diamonds “in a unique cobblestone pattern set to maximize brilliance,” Tiffany said in the same statement.
Free and Lamar had an idea for a headpiece inspired by the crown of thorns, which Tiffany notes is “arguably one of the most widely recognized symbols of religious iconography” and also “a metaphor for artistic prowess, humility, and perseverance.”
Tiffany said they also were inspired by Jean Schlumberger’s iconic Thorns brooch created in 1947 (shown below), which uses thorny projections on 18k gold encircling a 47 carat sapphire. That brooch is now on display at Tiffany’s Vision & Virtuosity exhibition in London; Schlumberger joined the jewelry company in 1956.
Tiffany noted that the crown’s design represents its “latest innovative partnership, connecting the art world with the skills of its designers and artisans,” the company said in the statement.
“For Lamar, this one-of-a-kind design by Tiffany & Co. is a nod of respect to the prolific artists who came before him as well as a powerful statement of Lamar’s influence and contributions to music and culture,” Tiffany continued.
It took four Tiffany artisans in northern Italy 10 months and 1,300 hours to make the crown. The prongs are handmade and the artisans set each diamond by hand, then cut the metal and folded it over the top, something typically reserved for high jewelry.
The crown weighs about 200 grams and was cast from individual components and assembled into one final piece. The more than 8,000 diamonds comprise 137 total carats, and the 50 total thorns are rose- inspired in thick and thin shapes.
Top: Tiffany & Co. received thousands of comments, both positive and negative, when it shared photos and videos of its Crown of Thorns created with rapper Kendrick Lamar and creative collaborator Dave Free (photos courtesy of Tiffany & Co.).
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