Jony Ive Creates Solid Gold EarPods for (RED) Sotheby's Charity Auction - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Jony Ive Creates Solid Gold EarPods for (RED) Sotheby's Charity Auction

by

Gold EarPodsJony Ive, Apple's senior vice president of design, has contributed to an auction [PDF] celebrating "masterworks of design and innovation" to benefit Bono's Project (RED) charity.

Ive worked with designer Marc Newson to curate and in some cases customize a number of items including a one-of-a-kind Steinway & Sons grand piano, and the pair curated the rest of the collection, including a set of 18k solid rose gold Apple EarPods, pictured at right, and a customized magnum of Dom Perignon 1966 with a custom red label.

Leading the auction are the two items designed in their entirety by Jony and Marc – a unique Leica Digital Rangefinder Camera, which is, in and of itself, a feat of extraordinary engineering, and a unique aluminum desk produced by Neal Feay Studios. Joining these editions labeled 01/01 and specifically produced for the (RED) Auction are: a Steinway & Sons Parlor Grand Piano and a 2012 Range Rover, both customized by Jony and Marc; a unique version of Hermès’ iconic Cavale saddle created in red leather with custom red stitching; a one- of-a-kind pair of classic Apple EarPods in solid rose gold; a Russian cosmonaut suit; a pair of Damien Hirst ‘Spin Chairs’ designed by Jasper Morrison; a custom Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos “561” Clock with unique red accents created for the auction; and a Dom Pérignon Œnothèque s 1966 Magnum with custom red foil label, red ice bucket cooler and limited edition protective case.

The charity auction will be held on November 23 at Sotheby's New York.

Top Rated Comments

boshii Avatar
170 months ago
These would be perfect for the champagne 5S. :D
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
170 months ago
For me heavier earphones stay in better as light ones a single light knock of the cable causes them to fly out.

But putting it in your ear a few times will start to make it tarnish and loose value but I guess that's the same as a ring of a necklace.
gold doesn't tarnish
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
4God Avatar
170 months ago
Wonder if they'll sound tinny...:D
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
musika Avatar
170 months ago
I'm no big Star Wars buff or anything, but did anybody else think of C3PO when they saw this?

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Arran Avatar
170 months ago
Especially, what will you do when the cable breaks one day?

Use them as ear plugs. Silence is golden.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Drumjim85 Avatar
170 months ago
For me heavier earphones stay in better as light ones a single light knock of the cable causes them to fly out.

But putting it in your ear a few times will start to make it tarnish and loose value but I guess that's the same as a ring of a necklace.

You put necklaces in your ear?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Next to iPhone

Here's When iOS 27 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: It's Out]

Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Today With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and changes coming with iOS...
deep black iphone 18 pro

Apple Says iPhone 18 Pro Max Sold in U.S. Differs in One Way

Saturday September 12, 2026 3:27 pm PDT by
As noted by Nicolas Lellouche, who writes for the French tech website Numerama, Apple has updated its tech specs pages for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max to clarify which models are equipped with its new C2 cellular modem and where. Apple now says the iPhone 18 Pro has a C2 modem worldwide, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses the chip in every country except for the U.S. According...