An extravagant jewel-encrusted ring worn by rapper Tupac Shakur just days before he was murdered at 25 years old is set to go up for auction and could make $300,000

Tupac Shakur made his final public appearance just three days before he was murdered, during which he wore an extravagant jewel-encrusted "crown" ring.

The ring, which was also designed by the rapper, is now set to go under the hammer and could sell for almost $300,000 (£230,000). The sovereign ring, which features gold, ruby, and diamond, will sell as part of the auction house Sotheby's sale marking the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

The sale of the ring comes after Las Vegas police searched a home in connection with the murder of Tupac.

The musician was tragically killed in 1996 at the age of 25 after he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.

The murder came just three days after Tupac was seen wearing the ring at his final public appearance at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards.

The piece of jewelry marked a new phase in Tupac's life, as he abandoned his "Thug Life" persona following a stint in prison. It's expected to sell for between $200,000 and $300,000 (£152,719 and £229,079) at auction in New York later this week.

After Tupac's stay in prison, he launched media conglomerate Euphanasia Incorporated and commissioned two new pieces of jewellery - a Euphanasia medallion and his 14-carat gold crown ring.

Tupac's godmother, Yaasmyn Fula, who is selling the ring, explained that it served as a "powerful" symbol of responsibility.

She said: "Tupac thought of himself and his creativity as a tool of expressing injustice and love. That message has been carried on with a lot of artists to this day that give him acknowledgment and say how much he inspired them."

The sale of Tupac's ring comes after police searched a home that may be connected to his murder, which has long been shrouded in mystery.

The police told The Mirror: "LVMPD can confirm a search warrant was served in Henderson, Nevada on July 17, 2023, as part of the ongoing Tupac Shakur homicide investigation. We will have no further comment at this time."

Following a boxing match on September 7, 1997, Tupac was riding in the passenger seat of a 1996 BMW 750 Sedan which was being driven by Marion "Suge" Knight. A white Cadillac pulled up beside Suge's vehicle.

From the back of the car, the shooter rolled down the window and took fire. That's when both of them were shot 13 times. Tupac was hit three times in the chest and shrapnel went by Suge's head.

Most valuable hip-hop artefact ever sold

The winning bid was way above the pre-sale estimate of between $200,000 (N158,746,000) and $300,000 (N238,119,000), as reported by Rolling Stone, making it the most valuable hip-hop artefact ever sold.

Details indicate that the "California Love" hitmaker designed the ring over the course of a few months through his godmother Yaasmyn Fula, who put it up for sale.

The design was influenced by 16th-century Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli's political manifesto "The Prince," a book Tupac read while he was in prison.

On the ring are engraved the words "Pac & Dada 1996," the latter being the name of his girlfriend; Kidada Jones.