Lil Wayne necklace pays for London art student's university fees

An art student who landed a commission to make a gold necklace for Lil Wayne said it will to a long way to help pay her university fees.

Joy Bonfield-Colombara, from south-east London, said she was struggling to pay for her £9,500-a-year course at the Royal College of Art.

But just as she was thinking about dropping out, she received an email from a friend of the US rapper, Lil Wayne, who wanted to buy him a birthday present.

The artist, 29, who goes by the trading name Joy BC, has gone viral after the rapper was seen on TV wearing the necklace, made of 18-carat gold in the shape of his face and featuring two diamonds for the singer's signature teardrop tattoos.

Ms Bonfield-Colombara said she was "freaking out" when she was told who the commission was for.

She didn't reveal the price but said it was worth "thousands".

"I was about to say 'no, I'm really sort of trying to figure out stuff with school'. They then said it's for my friend's birthday and told me who the friend was," she said.

"I listened to hip hop from a young age. I used to listen to him in the club."

"He absolutely loves it," she was reportedly told by the customer. The necklace has also featured in his music video for his new song "Uproar."

"I phoned my boyfriend and said I'm freaking out, I'm freaking out," added the artist.

"I hand carve everything, it takes me a really long time. One piece I made for someone took nine months.

"My boyfriend was like 'you can't do a Ronaldo on him'," she said, referring to a bronze bust of footballer Cristiano Ronaldo that was mocked on social media.

"He said 'it's got to look like him, you can't make an awful portrait'."

Ms Bonfield-Colombara, who previously studied at Glasgow School of Art, said she had been applying for help with her course fees.

She describes her art as sculptural jewellery, often with "socio political" inspiration.

"My mum took out a bank loan and I got a government loan for living expenses which I had to use on my fees.

"I was thinking I can't afford this. The whole time I was questioning whether I should do it. But I'm really enjoying the course.

"I needed to find close to £10,000. I did a GoFundMe page and managed to raise £1,500 through that. Then I got this email. I couldn't believe it."

Although the commission - which she said cost "thousands" - does not cover all of her fees, she said it pays for a "chunk".

Lil Wayne's latest album Tha Carter V, which features collaborations with Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj, Travis Scott and Kendrick Lamar, reached number five in the UK charts this month.