What Is Hip Hop and Bling Jewelry: The Beginners Guide

It is well-known that hip hop fashion complements the attitudes of hip hop culture. It has emerged in such a strong way that popular culture simply can’t ignore it, in fact it is embracing it. Hip-hop, or Bling jewelry became part of our lives. We might as well blame rappers, and other celebrities, who pushed their fashion style into the mainstream.

If you like to wear gold chains and iced out bracelets, you may not even realize you're wearing what’s considered ice jewelry. It’s likely you hear the term Hip Hop jewelry all the time, but not many people know what exactly it is. If you are new to the streetwear jewelry scene, you need to know the essentials so you can keep your hip hop swag straight.

“Bling-Bling”

Bling is most commonly known as showy or expensive jewelry that usually consists of gold or diamonds and stainless-steel finishes, but your bling jewelry doesn't have to be expensive. What many individuals don’t know is that the term is an actual word in the dictionary. The Oxford English Dictionary describes the name as a slang term, which eludes to showy or elaborate jewelry and accessories that are worn, or installed, such as certain types of grillz. In fact, the term was first used in 1987 to describe gold coins, jewelry, or gems. The popularity of the word grew when the song “Bling Bling” by Cash Money Millionaires was released in 1999. 

Characteristics of Hip Hop and Bling Jewelry

For those who love to rep bling or would like to start too, there is a complete Hip Hop jewelry guide that describes the different characteristic of Bling Jewelry that is important to know before making your first purchase of these type of accessories or even getting cheap jewelry online. The first general thing you need to know is that it is made in silver or gold and often with diamonds. The affordable, but still high-quality version of bling jewelry is typically gold-plated and often has CZ (Cubic Zirconia) stones.

When you feel ready to make your first purchase, make sure you know the different styles and types of today's mainstream hip hop jewelry:

Hip Hop Chains

Hip hop chains come in various styles, materials, and sizes. They can come in silver, gold, or iced out, and in all different types of styles; that’s the cool thing about these accessories, you have so much to choose from!

Most chains range from 5 to 9 mm and 30 to 40 inches in length; however, you want to make sure you have a long enough link just in case you want to put a pendant on it. The most popular styles are Cuban, box, rope, snake, or Franco chain. Depending on your type of swag your favorite kind of rapper chains may vary.

Hip Hop Bracelets

Another popular type of bling jewelry is bracelets. But not just any type. As you might have guessed, these bracelets are usually gold, silver, chains, completely covered in diamonds or also called micro pave hip hop jewelry. Hip Hop bracelets usually come in 6 to 10 mm in thickness and 8 to 9 inches in length. Whether you want to make a strong statement or not, bling bracelets can come extremely heavy with more stones, or a lightweight gold chain. In fact, hip hop stars like to stack their accessories up their wrists, not just their necks.

Pendants

A hip-hop pendant is the true bling of your jewelry ensemble, and they are worn heavily by many famous rap stars. Bling pendants can range from crosses to custom pieces, and miscellaneous. The sizes vary, along with its type; they can come in gold or silver, and with or without diamonds or gems. Keep in mind you want to choose a longer chain when you buy a hip hop pendant. One part of hip hop jewelry many people forget is grillz. Yes, grills are in fact a huge part of having swag bling! Gold teeth are the perfect addition to your hip hop style and pair great with any kind of bling. They usually come in gold and silver, or with single diamonds.