Pharrell and Jacob the Jeweller Are Auctioning 30 Years of Ice (EXCLUSIVE)
If Pharrell never met Jacob Arabo, so much could’ve ceased to exist. All of Pharrell’s wildest jewels, from the N.E.R.D. chain Drake reportedly bought for $2.2 million to his 2006 18-karat-gold BlackBerry 8700b, are the work of Arabo, better known as Jacob the Jeweller. And Arabo was instrumental in Pharrell’s most fruitful creative relationship, having introduced the Louis Vuitton creative director to streetwear pioneer NIGO, with whom Pharrell has done everything from founding streetwear brands to launching a Sake company to jointly investing in a Japanese hospitality startup.
Pharrell and Jacob the Jeweller’s 30-year friendship has influenced culture to no end. Now, as shared exclusively with Highsnobiety, their auctioning some of their most prized possessions.
“As soon as I met Pharrell, I understood that he was a creative force, always looking to push boundaries and think beyond the status quo,” Arabo tells Highsnobiety. “What we’ve built together reflects constant evolution and has influenced culture. It changed the way the world views the intersection of jewelry, streetwear, and luxury.”
Through Pharrell’s auction house JOOPITER, 30 rare and one-of-a-kind pieces from both Arabo’s archive and Williams’ personal collection are going under the hammer.
And naturally, everything is thoroughly iced out.
The auction, titled “Objects of Brilliance,” features items like the first Jacob & Co. Five Time Zone watch, which laid the foundations for the company's extravagant modern-day watchmaking and which Benjamin Arabov, CEO of Jacob & Co., calls “a relic of early 2000s streetwear.”
Arabov is also keen to highlight custom necklaces made for Pharrell, such as one littered with over 112 carats of Fancy Vivid yellow diamonds designed to be a “modern royal jewel,” estimated to sell for between $6,000,000 and $8,000,000, plus a diamond-encrusted 18K white gold pendant (estimated to fetch $100,000 to $150,000) portraying the logo of NIGO’s brand HUMAN MADE which Pharrell is an advisor for. “This piece represents a full circle moment, a tribute to the creative connection of Jacob, Pharrell, and NIGO,” says Arabov. “It’s a symbol of the shared history that changed the trajectory of streetwear.”
Bidding starts on February 17 till March 5 via JOOPITER’s website, including some more inanimate iced-out objects. There are diamond-encrusted 18K white gold paper clips from Virgil Abloh and Jacob & Co.’s Office Supplies collection, a full diamond-covered bow tie, and even a carabiner of rose gold and diamonds.
They don’t call Jacob Arabo a king of bling for nothing.
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