Beneath the Hall of Gems and Minerals’ dimly lit glass cases of the Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals’ Meister Gallery, lies a dazzling, diamond-encrusted eye-patch — a relic that is both improbable and utterly captivating. With its intricate lattice of glittering stones set in white gold bearings, each diamond seems meticulously chosen to catch the light at just the right angle. Equal parts armor and ornament, the piece belongs to London-born rapper Slick Rick, and it embodies the fearless self-expression at the heart of hip-hop culture.
The patch, along with its equally bedazzled matching crown, can be found in the American Museum of Natural History’s exhibit Ice Cold: An Exploration of Hip-Hop Jewelry, open until January 5th, 2025. Although contrasting with the dinosaur fossils, space matter, and the other wondrous scientific specimens, the curators of this exhibit at the AMNH have done a spectacular job integrating the natural, scientific beauty of the gems with a deep exploration of Hip Hop’s cultural history. Together, the exhibition epitomizes hip-hop jewelry, bringing together 68 outstanding pieces, from the humongous chains of The Notorious B.I.G. to Bad Bunny’s glowing grill set.
“Throughout the museum, you’ll see objects that open a window onto our shared past or our current world, whether that’s nature, science, or culture. In ‘Ice Cold,’ the objects are magnificent jewelry pieces and the window opens into one of the most powerful social and cultural forces of the past 50 years, Hip Hop,” said Sean M. Decatur, President of the American Museum of Natural History. “We’re pleased to showcase these iconic pieces and the cultural phenomenon of Hip Hop, thereby reminding our visitors that culture is not just long ago or far away, but a part of all of our lives that we can reflect on and celebrate.”
The exhibit is the museum’s first major show to celebrate the cultural significance of hip-hop’s accessories. The exhibition dates overlap with the anniversary of the hip hop genre’s 50th anniversary in 2023 and in anticipation of the Bronx Hip-Hop Museum’s opening in 2025.
The exhibit focuses on the expansion of hip hop from just a musical genre to a cultural ensemble. Instead of taking center stage, the music is portrayed as an accompaniment to the stars of the show: the accessories. For members of hip-hop culture, jewelry is a primary means of expressing status and identity. Rappers do not start out displaying their success with mansions or cars; they do so with bling. Their gold and diamond-encrusted chains represent the first investment of artists who have finally made it. It symbolizes the accomplishment of the American dream.
“When you take in this exhibition you can clearly see how Hip Hop spawned a billion-dollar industry,” said Peter Nice of the Hip Hop Museum. “The jewelry of the pioneers, while indicative of their personal style and the streets, also represents their humble beginnings and their true love of Hip Hop itself, not the dollars.”
The exhibition is formatted to deliberately avoid a chronological history of the genre. Instead, it is organized by song. The area that first greets visitors serves as an introduction to the genre with Slick Rick’s “Hey Young World,” one of the 80s biggest hip hop songs that urged youth to take make the most of their lives, reject the pressures of the streets, stay away from drugs and violence, and above all respect others. The area’s biggest draw is Rick’s iconic eye patch and crown, Pharrell’s belt buckle by Jacob & Co., and A$AP Rocky’s diamond-encrusted lego pendant.
This is followed by the “Code of the Streets” section (inspired by Gang Starr’s ‘94 rap song), which instead focuses on nameplates and chains, as these served as a type of written “code” in hip-hop culture. Nameplates and chains functioned as a form of identity and self-expression, conveying messages about a person’s status, affiliations, and individuality. The clear standout here is Biz Markie’s gold nameplate from hip hop’s early 80s days. The back wall of the Hall of Gems and Minerals is embellished with “You See Us,” the section that clearly links the heritage of pre-2000s pieces to more modern creations. This includes Cardi B’s nipple covers, calling to mind César’s breast sculptures, and Tyler, The Creator’s bellhop pendant, covered in 23,000 hand-set stones.
As visitors walk through the exhibit, they are also accompanied by a playlist curated by DJ Woof, featuring songs from Queen Latifah, Jay-Z, and other stars featured in the exhibition.
While the ‘Ice Cold’ curatorial team included many of the museum’s top team members, it also recruited experts from the industry including Slick Rick, label executives, and jewellers. Guest curator Vikki Toback, the venerated journalist and author, who ultimately inspired the show with her meticulous research for her book Ice Cold: A Hip-Hop Jewelry History
“It’s time to celebrate the artists, jewelers, craftsmen, and everyday people who contributed to the storied history of hip-hop jewelry,” said Tobak. “This exhibit not only pays homage to hip-hop’s roots with pieces from Biz Markie and Jam Master Jay but also highlights its enduring impact on style and society with pieces from contemporary artists like Tyler, the Creator, A$AP Rocky and FERG.”
In describing her inspiration for creating the ‘Ice Cold’ book and working with AMNH, Tobak said she hopes to broaden the exhibition audience’s view on hip hop.
“Hip-hop jewelry is so much bigger than conspicuous consumption, and I really wanted this book to celebrate something bigger than just bling,” Tobak told a reporter at Wallpaper. “Style is a visual dialogue. Hip-hop took that dialogue and, with a clarity of vision and Black diasporic history, elevated all the way to global dominance — unapologetic, charismatic, and dripping in street savvy. Artists use jewelry to express their individuality, their identity, allegiance to neighbourhoods, crews, brotherhoods, label affiliations and so on.”
Within hip-hop, accompanying pieces are deeply connected to broader narratives of politics, race, and historical context. By showcasing artists who have expressed themselves through this art form and its subculture, Ice Cold also aims to celebrate the role of Black culture in America and its evolution through hip-hop.
From the 1980s until now, one thing about hip-hop jewelry has remained constant: its connotation of visual cues as a representation of social status. Even in the beginning, street artists like Roxanne Shante and Daddy Kane wore big, flashy, gold truck style jewelry. In the 1990s, Jay-Z and Diddy helped popularize platinum and diamond pieces through grills culture. And now, artists like Pharell and Tyler, the Creator, have started to use colored gems and experiment more with cartoon culture.
In the world of jewelry, a medium often defined by tradition, hip-hop jewelry stands apart for its fluidity and evolution. While classic designs are prized for their timelessness, hip-hop jewelry thrives on reinvention, shaped by the culture and artists who wear it. The bold gold chains of the 1980s gave way to ever-more intricate pieces. These pieces are not static adornments; they are statements, alive with meaning, creativity, and cultural significance. What emerges is a continuum of artistry that refuses to stand still, constantly pushing the boundaries of what jewelry can represent and who gets to define its value.
“This moment celebrates the creativity and innovation of hip-hop,” said Ice Cold guest co-curator Karam Gill, creative director and filmmaker behind the 2021 documentary series ICE COLD, created with the goal of challenging established notions of wealth, status, and superiority. “From the docuseries to the book, the Ice Cold project has shed light on larger conversations around societal perception and the American Dream. This exhibition pushes that further in a powerful way.”
Visiting the exhibit, it became clear that featuring this collection in one of the world’s largest museums highlighted the significance of hip-hop jewelry, recognizing it as both an art form and a cultural phenomenon. However, I couldn’t help but feel that there were noticeable gaps in its narrative. The art of women artists was conspicuously underrepresented, with only a handful of pieces by female rappers like Cardi B or Nicki Minaj on display. While the exhibit aimed to offer a comprehensive and celebratory perspective on hip-hop jewelry, it fell short of addressing the flaws inherent in an industry that places an overwhelming emphasis on material wealth as a measure of worth and success.
Hip-hop originated as a voice for the marginalized, a creative outlet for communities grappling with systemic inequality, poverty, and racial injustice. It gave rise to movements that sought to uplift and empower. Yet, over time, a genre born in the streets became inextricably linked with jewelry — status symbols that often reflect the very systems of wealth inequality that hip-hop was challenging.
The exhibit presents jewelry as a form of self-expression and empowerment, but it largely glosses over the contradictions embedded in its cultural evolution. While chains, grills, and pendants symbolize triumph over adversity, they also represent a celebration of material wealth and conspicuous consumption — values that can feel at odds with the genre’s origins. Songs that glorify excess and opulence have played a significant role in shaping hip-hop’s image, and the jewelry itself often serves as a marker of success that aligns with the wealth-focused ideals many of these communities were originally resisting.
The exhibit could have boldly addressed these contradictions to give the representation a more well-rounded narrative, rather than making it more easily digestible. Nevertheless, it does emphasize the aspects of hip-hop that may be the most important to share. By focusing on the unique craftsmanship and self-expression through jewelry, it highlights the bold and unapologetic nature of hip-hop.
To learn more about the ‘Ice Cold’ exhibit, click HERE.
“When you take in this exhibition you can clearly see how Hip Hop spawned a billion-dollar industry,” said Peter Nice of the Hip Hop Museum. “The jewelry of the pioneers, while indicative of their personal style and the streets, also represents their humble beginnings and their true love of Hip Hop itself, not the dollars.”