Elton John Turned This Body Part Into 'Timeless' Jewelry Pieces

The 'Rocket Man' singer has always been open about his health issues, especially his multiple knee procedures over the years. After struggling with joint problems that affected his ability to perform and his daily life, Elton John underwent double knee surgery.

Instead of saying goodbye forever to his knee caps, John decided to turn them into jewelry pieces that he calls "timeless pieces that will last for centuries." He detailed the journey of making them into jewelry in the World Gold Council’s new documentary short film, Touched By Gold.

"When I had my kneecaps removed, the left one first and then the right, I asked my surgeon if I could keep the kneecaps, which he was rather startled about," said the 78-year-old music legend about his knee cap surgery earlier this year.

He then rang jewelry designer Theo Fennell, who didn't find the situation weird at all. To turn the knee caps into a hard material to work with, Fennell "baked" them.

"We had to bake them to dry them out. Then they get raw like pumice stone, they’re very porous. So we had to paint them with acetate and then just polish them up," he explained.

Using John's right knee cap, or the patella, they create a gold-plated necklace that also includes a chain made out of bones. Why? Fennell felt it would be "more fun" and would reflect more about what the "thing" hanging at the end was made of.

The necklace also had the phrase, "I will no longer bow to any man," inscribed on the back. Fennell joked about its comedic wit, seeing as John has neither kneecaps to actually bow.

“My surgeon said I had the worst knees he’s ever operated on. That hole was actually in my kneecap. It looks a bit like an old artifact from Egypt," said John.

His right kneecap was certainly in better shape than his left. With the left kneecap being much smaller, they turned it into a brooch. He originally debuted the kneecap necklace at the BFI London Film Festival in 2024.