The Top Seven Most Luxurious Rapper Jewelry Items

From Migos, Ye, Pharrell Williams and more.

An integral part of creating a rap persona is the expression of personal style through jewelry. Would lyrics like BossMan Dlow’s, “They thought a n***a was sweatin’ all this water on my chest (bling),” hit as hard if he didn’t have the ice to match his words? Probably not.

Hip-hop’s love of jewelry goes back decades, starting with the oversized gold rope chains worn by the genre’s pioneers in the ‘80s. The next decade was defined by rappers turned business moguls adorning themselves and their artists in diamond-encrusted record label pendants (think Death Row and Roc-A-Fella Records).

The impact of hip-hop’s love affair with ice trickled into mainstream pop culture, influencing stars in other industries to embrace the lavish possibilities of their deep pockets. You can’t cite Allen Iverson’s style and its reverberating effect on the NBA without acknowledging the trends rappers wore at that time.

But the craziest iced-out pieces will always be traced back to the culture of rap. Today, artists’ accessories are bigger and better than ever before, challenging the creative limits of custom drip. Here are some of the most impressive adornments that some rappers spent a major bag on.

Disney fans, this one’s for you. In honor of the classic animated film that made everyone want to try their hand in the kitchen, the chain is based on an illustration by artist Bernard Rollins and custom-made for Quavo by Avianne & Co. Jewelers.

The white gold and VVS diamond pendant features a smiling Quavo wearing his Quality Control chains and an iced-out Rolex while holding Remy from the film. The detailed creation was inspired by Quavo’s verse on the 2016 Migos song, “Bad and Boujee.”

“I’m always hangin’ with shooters, Might be posted somewhere secluded, Still be playin’ with pots and pans, call me Quavo Ratatouille,” he raps on the song. The chain is estimated to be worth $250,000, proving the rapper does get to the bag.

Ye has never been shy about flexing on the stage, and his Horus chain was the perfect accessory during his 2010 BET Awards opening performance. The gaudy pendant was fittingly inspired by the Egyptian god Horus, who represents numerous attributes, including power (which, ironically, Ye performed that night) and healing.

The chain was custom-made by Jacob and Co. alongside a four-finger pyramid ring for the performance. Made of 24-karat yellow gold, both pieces were $300,000 each. Given the extremity of its size, Ye’s Horus chain also made for perfect meme material.

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Guwop is definitely a fan of everything iced-out—so much so that two of his kids are literally named Iceland and Ice. His twin panther chain was no exception, designed by Gucci himself and made by Diamond Club Miami.

The chain boasts an extravagant diamond weight of 165 karats and holds a total of 4,600 diamonds. Featuring “two diamond-encrusted panthers holding three equally encrusted chains in their mouths,” the chain came at a hefty price tag of $500,000.

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Long live Takeoff. His solar system chain is literally out of this world, featuring a YRN-branded spaceship surrounded by the Sun and other planets. Each planet and the pendant rocket is covered in precious stones and diamonds connected by “puffed mariner links.” Created by celebrated jeweler Elliot Avianne, the piece is reportedly worth around $500,000.

His chain and legacy are still being remembered today, with Quavo holding up the piece during his 2023 Grammys performance in honor of his nephew.

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The iconic chain 2000s from rapper and producer Pharrell Williams features the logo of his production company, the Neptunes. While it is still unknown exactly how many stones are in the piece, it is embellished with various colored diamonds, which was unprecedented at the time. The original piece by Jacob and Co. was worth an estimated one million dollars, but it was recently sold for much more.

In 2022, the piece, along with 20 others, was put on the auction block through Joopiter (a “global digital-first auction house and content platform.”) Proceeds from the sales went to Pharrell’s non-profit organization, The Black Ambition Foundation, which works to help Latinx and Black people learn more about business.

The chain sold for 2.184 million dollars, and was then seen on Drake in his 2023 music video for “Jumbotron S*** Poppin.” Despite saying he melted it down on the 2023 song “MELTDOWN” with Travis Scott, the piece also appeared in his 2024 “Family Matters” video and seems to be safe and sound.

“The Biggest Boss” has an impressive jewelry collection but his most extravagant piece has to be his self-portrait chain—which is naturally bigger than your average face pendant. The story goes that around 2008, Ross began wearing a self-portrait pendant worth an estimated $50K designed to mimic his features in great detail.

The face pendant became so popular among rappers that Ross couldn’t be outdone and had to create the Ross 2.0 pendant. He spent an estimated $1.5 million getting a chain of himself—wearing the original chain of himself. The seven-figure price tag is crazy enough, but the concept? Priceless chain-sanity.

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The most expensive jewelry piece was worn by none other than Kendrick Lamar, proving once again that he is “Not Like Us.” Created by Tiffany and Co., the custom titanium and diamond crown was first spotted on the cover of Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.

The crown, widely recognized as a symbol of religious iconography, is similar to the crown of thorns that Jesus wore on the day of his crucifixion. Tiffany & Co said the crown is a metaphor “for artistic prowess, humility, and perseverance.” For Lamar, it’s a nod of respect to the artists who came before him, perhaps symbolizing their metaphorical crucifixion to enact change for the next generation.

The 50 thorn headpiece, which took 10 months to design, features 8,000 handset cobblestone micro pavé diamonds and is worth an estimated three million dollars.

These extravagant pieces aren’t just another tool used to flex on both fans and haters. They help create buzz around an artist and show off their inner personalities. In today’s day and age, having signature jewelry can be just as important as having your lyrics down.