A molar belonging to the late Beatle John Lennon is set to go on tour some fifty years after it was extracted; the tooth recently fetched £19,000 at auction and part of it has since been incorporated into a necklace by Beverly Hills designer Ari Soffer. The John Lennon DNA Tooth Necklace is currently worth around £15,600.
Over the coming weeks, the DNA necklace is to be toured around sixteen dental practices in the UK to raise awareness of mouth cancer, as part of National Mouth Cancer Month – which includes free mouth screening, fundraising and promotions at each dental surgery.
Dr Chris Branfield, who works at a clinic in Hull, was the first to receive the tooth/necklace, and said he was pleased that the people of Hull were taking more notice of their oral health by receiving free screenings, giving dentists the chance to diagnose the condition while it was in the early stages. He added ‘People even got to wear John Lennon’s tooth around their neck and have a picture taken too.’
Other sections of the tooth were incorporated into a clay model of the iconic singer, which went on display at the Edmonton Fringe Festival in Canada.
This is not the first time American jeweller Soffer has worked with famous DNA to create pieces; he has also worked with drummer Tommy Lee, and Guns ‘N’ Roses legends Slash and Axl Rose.