A custom gold, diamond and ruby crown ring which was worn by rap legend Tupac Shakur during his final public appearance has sold for $1 million at an auction in New York recently.

The million-dollar bid, far exceeded Sotheby’s pre-sale estimate of between $200,000 and $300,000 to become the most valuable hip-hop artifact ever sold, according to the auction house.

It’s understood that the New York-born rapper wore the ring during his final public appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 4, 1996.

It’s reported that Sotheby’s in New York sold the ring as part of a large sale of hip-hop artifacts, including autographed letters from Shakur and a demo tape for his single “Trapped.”

The ring was designed by Pac himself and assembled by jewelers in New York City during his stint behind bars and his newly signed deal with Death Row Records. The design process was facilitated by his godmother, Yaasmyn Fula, who put the ring up for sale.

The ring is engraved “Pac & Dada 1996,” a reference to his girlfriend Kidada Jones.

Further description of the jewelry notes the ring has a gold circlet studded with a central cabochon ruby flanked by two pave-cut diamonds that sits atop a diamond-encrusted gold band.

The sale was part of a dedicated hip-hop auction to mark 50 years of the genre, which falls in August this year.

Shakur is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time, selling 75 million records.