Jacob & Co.'s jewels bespoken for Pharrell Williams are the main event in “Son of a Pharaoh” auction

Nineteen high jewelry creations by Jacob & Co. made for and with Pharrell Williams make up the better part of  “Son of a Pharaoh”. The online auction is an unprecedented gathering of Pharrell's own, carefully curated collection of luxury items. In a unique throwback to the 90s and early 00's, such pieces as the original NERD pendant, Asscher-cut Tennis Platinum necklace and 5 Time Zone Royal full diamond set watch are vibrant reminders of the central part Jacob Arabo has been playing in the global luxury conversation. This is a rare opportunity to acquire pieces that have captured the particular energy of both Arabo and Williams, traces of a unique cultural context.

This is a story of friendship, mutual recognition, co-creation and culture. As Pharrell puts up 52 of his most prized belongings up for auction, we're reminded of how central the creations of Jacob & Co. have been in the conversation the musician, composer, producer, designer has been having with pop culture since the earliest days of his career.

“Look at this yellow diamonds Astronaut necklace. Pharrell was always into Astronauts. This one used to go with him on stage. It got him so much publicity. People were screaming when they saw this jewelry on him. He was the first one to wear like this”, says Jacob Arabo.

Shaping culture for 30 years

Among the 52 items his latest venture, online auction house Joopiter, is releasing, no less than 19 bear the Jacob & Co. signature. “The items that we surround ourselves with are really like talismans and conduits that release a kind of energy” explains Pharrell Williams. Upon digging in the archive of Pharrell's past purchases, this proves to be but a fraction of what he bought, commissioned and otherwise bespoke directly with Jacob. The sum total is over one hundred pieces. 

Great minds think alike

The part Jacob & Co. played in the execution of Pharrell's vision is as unique as both men's longstanding history of creation. “There is something unique about Pharrell: he’s gifted. He has this gift of ideas and design and style. Clothing, jewelry, music of course, family man, husband, father, good friend. You can call him at seven-thirty in the morning, he will pick up the phone. And he understands quality.” adds Jacob Arabo. The feeling was mutual, as Pharrell says “When I met Jacob and saw what he had in there, I was like, “Oh okay. This is next level”. Then I just started drawing things and showing him, asking “Can we do this and make it like that?” And he never told me no. He always told me“Okay, we’ll figure it out”, and I don’t know why he did because I didn’t have the money.”

Hidden messages

As Pharrell puts it, “Collecting is about showing a set of values and ethical intelligence through spending”. And he elected to apply that intelligence, consistently and over thirty years with Jacob&Co. The NYC-based brand thus became the purveyor of goods he designed to become part of his collection, one that “challenges representation, ownership and taste.” Of the 52 items in Joopiter's first auction, those pieces bearing the Jacob & Co. signature stand out as the most precious, the most valuable as well as uniquely meaningful. “This was all me proving things. Even down to the diamond dice, it was me willing to take a chance. That was everything to me. You know the Rubik's Cube. They meant I was playing games with everybody and nobody could figure me out. The carabiners meant I'm climbing”, explains Pharrell Williams.

Yasha and Pharrell

What had begun as a connection between minds rapidly evolved into warmth, trust, and actual friendship. By the end of the 1990's, Jacob and Pharrell had become creating partners. “We had a relationship. It started this rapport with Jacob and I where he was my friend. We were doing things together. So that made me feel differently about the process.” says Williams. Energy, capturing it, and now releasing it, being the central concept around which Pharrell  revolves, he found in Jacob the spark, the taste, the enthusiasm he needed. In a process of co-creation possibly unique in the recent history of music and style, Pharrell Williams and Jacob Arabo have been partners rather than just customer and vendor. “He actually calls me by a name that's for family only. He calls me Yasha.”, says Jacob Arabo.