The music video for ASAP Rocky’s long awaited single “D.M.B.” features plenty of romantic moments with Rihanna. And while many have gushed over footage of everyone’s favorite couple making wedding vows to each other with a pair of grills by Dolly Cohen, keen jewelry fans might have peeped a beautiful ring that Rocky was wearing which boasts a full statue of a special woman in his life. While it’s not as big as the ostentatious gold eagle statue wrist gauntlets that Ghostface Killah used to wear, it certainly fits the vibe of a rapper we all know as “Pretty Flacko.” The ring Rocky wore in the video was made out of 130 grams of 18 karat gold and boasts a little over five carats of round brilliant white diamonds.
Turns out, the gold two-finger ring was produced by one of ASAP Rocky’s most trusted jewelers: Jason Arasheben, who is better known as Jason of Beverly Hills. The Los Angeles-based jeweler has been in the business for 20 years and has also produced jewelry for the likes of Micheal Jackson and Drake. However, he attests that Rocky is one of his most creative clients.
“He’s always a trendsetter. He’s not one of those guys that just sits back and says: ‘Okay, well because everyone’s wearing Cuban links, I’m going to wear a Cuban link,’” Arasheben tells Complex. “He actually thinks out of the box and wants to show his individuality. He wants to think differently and it’s always enjoyable to work with people like that. Because as a jeweler, it gets pretty boring when everyone comes and asks for the same exact thing.”
We spoke to Arasheben to get the inside scoop on how the ring in “D.M.B.” came together, the story behind other pieces of jewelry he made for ASAP Rocky, and the first pieces he made for rappers like Missy Elliott and Lil Jon.