While the sudden death of recording artist and entrepreneur Nipsey Hussle has rattled the hip-hop community, presumably nobody has been more deeply affected by his passing than his fiancée, actress Lauren London.
So to honor Nipsey’s legacy and attempt to ease the pain of her loss, media personality Charlamagne Tha God gifted the Games People Play star with a custom gold pendant of Nipsey’s profile, designed by renowned jeweler Greg Yuna.
“I originally wanted to make a tribute piece regardless of being approached, but to make one with this purpose was even more fulfilling,” Yuna told Hypebeast, providing some insight into his motivations behind the pendant.
He goes on to describe how he strived to create something both “suitable and iconic,” and revealed the arduous process behind creating something so intricate and detailed.
“Then we make a cad and spend tedious endless hours on the computer trying to get as much detail as possible in so we can print it on a state of the art 3D printing machine,” he said. “Finally, we cast it in gold and laser in the tattoos and do the finishing touches including the hand-selected full cut diamond in his ear.”
Yuna laments the fact that he only encountered Nipsey in person once, but that lone interaction left a tremendous impact on him.
“Even from one interaction you can tell he was a beautiful person,” he said.