According to Guiness Book of World Records, the largest diamond pendant around
I think this might be the best front page story I’ve ever seen in the Wall Street Journal. I made myself giggle twice as I imagined the writers’ meeting where a bunch of white guys look around at each other shrugging “Hey man, I never see that *%$# in my neighborhood, I dunno. I love Lil Wayne.”
The recession is cramping the style of hip-hop artists and wannabes — many of whom are finding it difficult to afford the diamond-encrusted pendants and heavy gold chains they have long used to project an aura of outsized wealth.
In an attempt to keep up appearances, celebrity jewelers say rappers are asking them to make medallions with less-precious stones and metals. Some even whisper that the artists have begun requesting cubic zirconia, the synthetic diamond stand-in and QVC staple.
Hip-hop luminaries with the cash to keep it real are appalled. Bling aficionados fret that the art of “ice” is being watered down.
The death of bling (and the pleading, begging calls for the death of bling) have been around since Day 2 of Bling. It may ebb and flow, but I don’t think it will die. Grillz, however, I would not be sad to see go.
In humid Houston, a Southern rap capital renowned as a mecca of ice, jeweler Johnny Dang says he is adapting to the changing climate by giving customers the less-expensive jewelry they want.
“The look is still big, it is still bling, but people are going with smaller diamonds and lower-karat gold,” trading down from 18- and 14-karat alloys to 12k, which is only 50% gold, or less, says Mr. Dang. He is relying more often on machine-made versions of his jewelry that can cut the cost of a $10,000 handcrafted pendant in half.
Mr. Dang’s “grillz” sales also have fallen off 60% in the recession.
Born Curious 
Recent Comments