Sir Elton John has never been shy about expressing himself through fashion, flamboyance, or fine jewellery — but his love for adornment recently took a truly unexpected and slightly surreal turn.
The music icon has revealed that following knee surgery a couple of years ago, he decided not to part with a very personal souvenir: his own kneecaps.
Elton underwent a double knee replacement in 2024, a procedure that saw both of his damaged kneecaps removed. While most patients would be eager to forget such a medical milestone, the Rocket Man had other ideas entirely.
Speaking in the short documentary Elton John – Touched By Gold, the singer recalled surprising his surgeon with an unusual request.
“When I had my kneecaps removed — the left one first and then the right — I asked my surgeon if I could keep the kneecaps,” Elton said. “He was rather startled.”
What followed was an extraordinary collaboration between music, medicine, and jewellery design.
From operating room to jewellery box
Once he had secured the kneecaps, Elton contacted renowned British jeweller Theo Fennell and gave him creative freedom to transform them.
“I just said, ‘Do what you want with them,’” Elton explained.
The process, however, was far from straightforward — and certainly not for the squeamish.
Theo described how the kneecaps had to be carefully preserved before they could be transformed into wearable art.
“We had to bake them to dry them out,” he said. “Then they get raw like pumice stone — they’re very porous. So we painted them with acetate and polished them up.”
The end result? Two highly unconventional yet dazzling necklaces made from Elton John’s own kneecaps, now fully bedazzled and preserved as one-of-a-kind artefacts.
“Like an ancient Egyptian relic”
In the documentary, Elton and Theo proudly display the finished pieces, with the singer joking about the state of his knees prior to surgery.
“My surgeon said I had the worst knees he’s ever operated on,” Elton remarked. “That hole was actually in my kneecap. It looks a bit like an old artefact from Egypt.”
The anecdote perfectly encapsulates Elton’s ability to find humour — and even glamour — in the most unexpected places.
Health battles in recent years
Elton’s knee surgery is just one of several health challenges he has spoken openly about in recent years. The 77-year-old star officially retired from live touring in 2023, bringing an end to his decades-long run on the road just weeks after his emotional headline performance at Glastonbury Festival.
More recently, he revealed that an eye infection has left him with severely limited vision, another setback in an already difficult period for the legendary performer.
Despite these obstacles, Elton has shown no signs of slowing down creatively.
Still making music — and history
Even as he steps away from touring, Elton continues to record and collaborate. He is nominated for a Grammy Award later this week for the album he released last year with Brandi Carlile, further cementing his status as one of the most enduring figures in modern music.
Turning kneecaps into jewellery may be an extreme example of his eccentric brilliance, but for Sir Elton John, it’s just another chapter in a life defined by fearless creativity — and doing things his own way.
