A unique diamond ring that was designed and owned by Elvis Presley is to be sold by GWS Auctions with a $150,000 estimate.
The custom made size 10, diamond and 14 carat gold ring, that costs Elvis $40,000 to make (over $200,000 today), is sold with original sketches of the ring by jewellery designer Lowell Hayes, plus letters of provenance from Priscilla Presley and J.D. Sumner.
It is the first TCB ring (Taking Care of Business) Elvis had made and is decorated with the TCB letters lined with diamonds, along with lightning bolts also lined in diamonds.
The ring was owned by Elvis Presley and gifted to singer J.D Sumner whilst on stage together at the Asheville concert in 1975, in front of an audience of 14.000 people.
Elvis then had a replica ring made for himself to wear in front of his father Vernon, for fear that Vernon would notice he ring was msising.
The ring has approximately 2.25 carats of diamonds. The original 7.56 carat centrepiece diamond was removed from the ring for insurance purposes, and replaced with a cubic zirconia, but is inlcuded in the sale.
The ring is also sold with a letter of provenance from Priscilla Presley documenting her memories of designing the iconic 'Taking Care of Business' logo with Elvis.
The provenance also includes a recording of the Asheville concert where Elvis can be seen gifting the ring to J.D. Sumner to applause from the audience.
The ring passed from J.D Sumner to collector Mike Moon, founder of an Elvis Presley Museum in Tennessee, in the 1980's and was last sold by GWS in December 2020 when it attracted 31 bids and sold for $440,625, in doing so becoming the most expensive piece of Elvis Presley ever sold at auction.
You can follow the Elvis Presley ring auction at GWS Auctions.