New documentary reveals how Elton John turned his kneecaps into one-of-a-kind gold jewellery
Elton John revealed in the documentary "Touched By Gold" how he turned his kneecaps into jewellery.
Image: Facebook/Elton John
Elton John has revealed how he transformed his kneecaps into wearable jewellery in the documentary “Touched By Gold”.
Released by the World Gold Council, the short film features the 78-year-old singer and pianist discussing how gold has played a unique role in his life.
John, who had a double knee replacement in 2024, collaborated with jewellery designer Theo Fennell to turn his removed joints into jewellery.
“When I had my kneecaps removed, the left one first and then the right, I asked my surgeon if I could keep them, which he was rather startled about - then I rang you,” John recalled.
Elton John teamed up with jewellery designer Theo Fennell to transform his removed joints into jewellery.
Image: YouTube/World Gold Council
Fennell explained the process: “We had to bake them to dry them out. They become raw, like pumice stone, very porous, so we had to paint them with acetate and then polish them.”
He held up a necklace containing a fragment of the bone framed in gold. John described it as “my right kneecap. That’s my right patella”.
“My surgeon said I had the worst knees he’s ever operated on,” John added. “That hole was actually in my kneecap. It looks a bit like an old artefact from Egypt.”
Fennell noted that he designed the chain using bones to match the piece. “I just thought it would be more fun to have a necklace that reflected the thing at the end of it,” he said.
The back of the necklace carries a Latin inscription meaning: “I will no longer bow to any man.”
“Which of course you can’t do with a kneecap missing,” Fennell remarked.
John’s left kneecap was made into a brooch due to its smaller size. “I honestly think these are timeless pieces that will last for centuries,” John said.
Elton John’s left kneecap was made into a brooch due to its smaller size.
Image: YouTube/World Gold Council
The singer, who retired from touring in 2023, has undergone numerous medical procedures over the years.
At a screening of “Elton John: Never Too Late” in October 2024, he reflected on his health: “There’s not much of me left. I don’t have tonsils, adenoids or an appendix. I don’t have a prostate. I don’t have a right hip or a left knee or a right knee."
"The only thing left is my left hip,” he said. “But I’m still here. And I can’t thank you enough; you’re the people that made me.”
The documentary concludes with John reflecting on his final performances, including shows at Glastonbury and in Stockholm, Sweden. “I ended on a high,” he said. “That’s what I wanted to end on.”