Hip Hop Jewelers: The Biggest Scammers in Hip Hop 

Im a jeweler. Buy weight. Melee diamonds are worthless. If you buy under 1 carat you can get a decent price break by the carat. Buy gold and have your jeweler work the metals you provide. If a client provides the material i only charge my labor. Saves them a ton. And i don't mark my stuff up 1000% usually around 300%. Do my best to be as fair as possible with also making my wages. Take care.

No other music gengre flexes bad financial investments like hip hop

If you're willing to spend 400k on a watch and you can't even time travel with it, you deserved to be scammed

“Carbon vaccinated diamonds” had me weak. CVD stands for chemical vapor deposition. It’s one of the 2 processes that creates lab diamonds.

One of worst things that happened to hip hop is the need they felt you had to waste your money on jewellery to be certified. One of dumbest thing ever.

The real scam is that diamonds, even the real ones, are inherently worthless.

s/o to savage and cordae for deciding that there are more important things than buying jewelry. that's the sort of mindset a respect.

The danger of getting ripped off is inherent to wanting ridiculously ostentatious, tacky jewelry. One guy said “they’re not fleecing Wall Street traders”, but they’re not the ones buying this shit.

I love how Akademics talked about “preying on rappers” as if hes not the epitome of “preying” on anything.

What 21 said is something I noticed in HS when I went to a private school. None of my white friends wore jewelry or a chain. I found it ironic and hilarious that every black person I knew felt like we needed one. A chain of all things... just think about it.

I remember getting my first job. I saved up the whole summer. Even walked to/from work every day. Picked up extra shifts, etc. Had a little over 2k saved and bought a gold chain that I really wanted. Literally a few days later, I’m damn near broke and so frustrated with myself. I saw some of my peers putting down payments on cars/ apartments, but my dumbass went and bought a chain. Almost a decade later, I still have it lol. Daily reminder to be financially responsible.

He says, "Why don't you scam Wall Street instead of hip hop artists? Lol, does he really not know the answer to that?

I can't take AK seriously when he said "you're taking hundreds of thousands of dollars that these rappers could have spent on their families" If they were going to spend it on their families, they wouldn't be blowing it on what they thought was real jewelry!

If I can't buy a Rolex straight from the Rolex store then I'm not buying it that watch from anywhere else.

Imagine if all the money these rappers wasted on jewelry was used to help fix their hoods

I used to sell replica jewelry and watches. I was pretty famous on Instagram. You'd be surprised how many of these people such as little pump actually hit me up looking to buy fake jewelry

What 21 and Cordae said is 100% legit. Growing up my parents always insisted how wealthy people don't show off their wealth materially at least. So many millionaires you wouldn't know are millionaires...stop putting yourself in debt pretending you got money?

It's ok to wear fake jewelry, what's important is that the customer is aware of what they're buying.

Diamonds added to luxury watches actually devalues the original watch. If you have a blinked out watch you’re basically wearing a fake

Imagine a world where the majority of artists owned their music masters instead of another gold chain.

The real idiots are the one's buying all that jewellery before they even own a house.

It’s just so sad and terrifying because our black children look up to these people… meanwhile I have neighbours making 2x rapper money who coupon on the weekends. True generational wealth… wealth acquired by GOD is so silent and humble. These loud, flashy displays of “wealth” are of the enemy.

Just to add; it’s not just rappers getting finessed by their jewelers, big fashion brands do this too. They sell you product which is made out of the cheapest possible material then sell it for hundreds :/ I personally have all my jewelry vintage because it’s cheaper that way.

Jewelry itself is not a bad purchase or investment. The issue comes with CUSTOM pieces. It doesn't matter how many diamonds and how much gold, platinum etc are in your chain. If you have something along the lines of T-Pain's Big Ass Chain, it doesn't matter if it cost you 100k or more. You're not gonna be able to resell it later for anywhere near that, unless you get lucky and find a super fan who also happens to be obscenely wealthy, and that's not common. There's nothing wrong with buying some nice, expensive jewelry whether you're a rapper or not. But don't buy a rolex or a pendant that's so full of stones that it doesn't even make sense. Just buy the actual Rolex, or just a nice Cuban Link. The difference is that they'll hold their value, or even go up in value, the shit that's custom or "bust down" will NOT.

People are mad at the jewelers for overcharging when people could of paid their families yet the rappers chose to buy the dumb shit instead of feeding families.

i think rappers just actually like the irony. they spend this ridiculous amount of money on something worthless because they can and they’re proud of it.

I first heard about this website through a friend of mine. I already ordered two necklaces and bracelets from there and both times I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the products. They were so much more affordable than what you would find at other stores, but they still look fantastically stylish.

Their scamming them because they know how to make the rappers feel they can trust them. You start by selling them real pieces then once that bond is formed you know you can start selling them fakes because you know they wont question that your stuff is real.

And then there's that ICEBOX dude who's always "best friends" with every rapper, being overly nice to them and trying so hard to make them feel good. What a f*cking snake that dude is. But hey, these clown rappers fall for it.

One of the realest video I seen in the chain and jewelry industry it was very educational

I held my breath I was in my head saying they knew some of it was fake you mean they didn't know I learned a lot just reading the comments so happy someone is telling this story

I worked in jewelry. I remember when a local rapper came in to get his jewelry cleaned and tested. He was pissed when I told him all his stones was fake.

The problem isn't fake jewellery, its jewellery in general. These artists are spending hundreds of thousands on worthless junk.

It’s deeper than jewelry. It’s a mindset that predates these rappers. I feel like black people have experienced so many forms of trauma and dehumanizing acts, that we lost our identity and visibility within ourselves. Loud music, flashy jewelry, fast cars.. they all aid to help us in not feeling that cloak of invisibility that’s been put on us through our horrifying history. That’s why it’s so vital that we research our ancestors and our contributions to society so that we begin to understand that we’re a brilliant and powerful group of people.

To be clear. Nobody but rappers and artists buy this type of jewelry. Overpricing jewelry is not a scam. If rappers want to waste their money on this it is their own fault. However, you shouldn't lie about the quality or if its real or fake. That is illegal.

Kendrick Lamar - “Insecurity roams the black community Homes where kids must have jewelry The high school female need earrings and details So she can be cool to be, amongst popularity The various name brands that reached the price scan It's not about the right price but more like the right scam To rule us all, confuse us all”

"Yea plenty of times but right now it's real though" Big Draco

We need a updated version of this

This past few days watching my crypto portfolio decline is very disheartening. Holding doesn't really profit much. Any idea on how to earn better in the short run?

Refreshing to see rappers like 21 Savage talking about how they're over the chain hype. There are some really gifted artists in hip hop and you hate to see them get in crazy debt over dumb purchases.

1. Resources are things with MULTIPLE uses. 2. A country's wealth is determined by the RESOURCES it has at its disposal. 3. Gold is a resource. It has multiple uses. 4. Diamonds are a resource. They have multiple uses. A diamond and gold neck piece that spells out your name has only 1 use!!!! Therefore it's actual value substantially lower than what you've paid!!

"It's just rocks & metal, its only worth what you're willing to pay for it"................. Huey Freeman.

“ A lot of rappers simply don’t have the money for this stuff anymore” 😂 that’s so ironic to hear that 😂

I say this all the time, expensive jewelry, and “luxury designer” brands are made for poor people, please let that sink in…

A jewel thief along time ago told me if you ever go to buy some diamonds, if you ever walk into a store and they don’t have a 10 karat loupe(the thing they use to look at diamonds) walk out Instantly they arent their to show you the flaws they’re their to scam you.

The biggest scammers are the supposed “victims” themselves. My friend is a jeweler to these clowns and she tells me how they have the nerve to show up with fake shit trying to trade it in a week after they have purchased it.

The absolute truth is diamonds aren’t worth anything IF you needed cash bad. The gold will ALWAYS be worth value. Go to ANY pawn shop and find out.

All these jewellers started sprinkling in lab made diamonds (cvd) with the real ones to cut corners during a time where there was LITERALLY no way to identify them. UNTIL that yehuda machine came out that does an X-ray scan and can identify them. They pop up bright red opposed to blue if they’re natural. A bunch of jewellers got caught once that machine came out. Ppl started putting their pieces in the machine only to realize damn near half the diamonds were lab. So they charged you for 60 carats if diamonds meanwhile there was only 30 & then they also tell you it’s vvs while it’s only vs, then they cut the gold down to a lower %. Tell you it’s 14k but really give you 12-13k. After all that they still have the nerve to hit you with the ultra premium rapper price😂 so you really got fucked in each and every way.

“Money talks, wealth whispers, but power is silent” isn’t just about words. Climbing that chain is hard, and weighing yourself down by wearing it only makes the journey harder.

I'm glad someone is finally saying it out loud. "A fool and his money are soon parted." These jewlers are deliberately scamming rapper's to get rich.

All these iced out people you see often tells you 2 things - they have new money and chances are, they not gonna have that in 20 years. Unless they got 10s or 100s of millions. Jewelry is NOT an investment. Especially if they ice it out. The only way you gonna make money off your jewellery is if you get a collector piece or if its got a pedigree. An old Rolex in good condition is often more valueable than a new iced out one.

As a Business/Economics major, I honestly could go on a WHOLE rant about how stupid It Is to spend money on jewelry that's gonna devalue overtime. I wish more rappers hired financial advisers for help, instead of having a bunch of yes-men fools lie to them.

I’m really proud to see the growth and maturity in rappers like 21 savage. This says a lot.

This needs a part 2 because you didn’t talk about the fake prop square diamond testers, the gold plated silver custom jewelry from China. How moissanite pass almost every diamond tester and are the only stones that look even in color on a piece. How jewelers sell you 14k but really be 12k or 10k be 8k(not considered precious metal). And my favorite! The replica iced out watches made in chine real movements replica case and bands. I got the ig manufactures as proof.

I bought a pair of earrings from them about two weeks ago, and I love them so much. They are the best quality jewelry store that I have found. Furthermore, their prices are affordable which is perfect for my budget. I would recommend this store to anyone who is looking for hip hop jewelry!

I really have a hard time thinking of rappers as victims for getting scammed by jewelers. If you are an adult you're responsible for your own purchases and if you're so blinded by wanting to flex that you rush into buying the first thing that shines you got nobody to blame but yourself. Plus when you think about how much hustlers are praised in the rap/hip hop community it's beyond hypocritical to cry when you get hustled yourself. How a rapper gonna rap about hustling their community by dealing drugs then whine when they get worked on some jewelry. Time to grow up, stop whining about your own bad choices and learn to spend your money and stop praising hustlers if you don't like being on the other end of it.

What these rappers don’t seem to get is when you get a super expensive watch and ice it out, the actual watch goes down in value because it’s not 100% factory anymore. If you want diamonds on your watch buy one with factory set diamonds so you don’t ruin a really nice and rare watch. Just my opinion.

I sold some rapper an aluminum pie tin. Told him it was a platinum record.😂😂😂

That's why i go to 6 ICE in Toronto and ICE BOX IN ATLANTA.

Fools and their money are easily parted,I don’t blame the jewellers

A buddy and I went to the Diamond District. He bought a chain for 4K. Supposedly, per the jeweler the real value was 3x more and he was getting such a deal. An hour later as we kept shopping walking around he had buyers remorse and went back to return the necklace. The jeweler told him he would give him 1800 back beacuse that’s all it was worth. Lol

DeBeers saw that marriages were going down the tubes, and expertly pivoted to a previously untapped market. Extraordinary. These corporate types are despicable, but I can’t help but admire just how ruthless and savvy they can be.

Another part to mention is that when a jeweller has an original watch “buss down” (filled with diamonds) it actually chops the price of a watch greatly and there’s no way a real jeweller doesn’t know this. Factory set diamonds or nothing.

Thank you 21 Savage. The whole damn time I was watching this, I was thinking "The richest people in the world don't have a single piece of jewelry on", and then he goes on and says it.

Just basic common knowledge to know, they even made a saying for it: They got more money than sense. Pride comes just before the fall. It shows itself in all shapes and forms.

The funny thing about watches being "Iced out" , It actually ruins the watch, Devalues it. Keep it factory. Putting diamonds in an AP is some of the dumbest thinking ever

As a watch collector this pains me so much. These guys could be saving money and buying authentic by purchasing brands like Tudor, Oris, Tag Heuer, Nomos, Omega, the list goes way on. Everybody is so damn worried about flexing only the highest brands that great brands like these, even though are respectable aren’t flashy enough. Instead they purchase fakes probably the same cost as a Tudor.

When u watch the jewelers selling to rappers you can literally see them making up the numbers in their head as they go. They just throw out prices to see how stupid the specific rapper they’re selling to is. It’s ridiculous.

so many youtubers are stealing this content and not even giving yall credit its crazy

I fw this video new subscriber!

the fact that their response to lil baby was I would never "knowingly" sell him fake jewelry should be a red flag for all of his customers.

Wealth whispers. One of my first jobs was for a family owned, multi-national real estate firm. These people have been wealthy for generations! I NEVER saw them behave the way I saw “rich” rappers do. It’s sad to see them wrap so much of their worth up in this jewelry mess when it’s all a facade.

6:51 If you have a family to feed, maybe you shouldn't be buying expensive jewelry in the first place!

Any rapper with a chain and jewellery isn’t a rapper worth listening too

Back when I thought I was going to be a jewellery designer. I enrolled in the Royal college of jewellery makers, I also worked for the essay office, who are responsible for authenticating and hallmarking precious metals. I can spot fake gold, platinum and silver from 100 paces. The amount of very upset customers who sent thier pieces in for authentication to only find out it was worthless was insane. The most upset were the ppl who brought what we called "paste" thinking they were real diamonds was also very high. Custom pieces are only worth scrap metal value, even then I'd check the smelt percentage.. Real diamonds have practically no resale value as the diamond business is set up on the premise of " fake scarcity" they are mined then place in storage to artificially keep prices high. One of the biggest scams going. They know blacks like shiny things. The workmanship on some of this stuff is so poor too Want to buy gold. By authenticated gold coins, and bullion bars, dont wear it.it really is the weight that matters.

I think what's also painful about the situation is the cognitive dissonance around how a majority of diamonds & expensive jewels are sourced.....blood diamonds never stopped being a thing, y'all. And I highly doubt anything most of these rappers are wearing is ethically sourced; "workers" are being abused & dying for a wage that isn't even a CRUMB of the worth of the jewels they find. On top of that, the amount of damage & extraction being done environmentally is atrocious. While I deeply understand the need to feel seen & validated, on all sides, from jeweler, to rappers/athletes & middlemen, the desire & greed ain't worth it. If you're interested in looking deeper "Of Blood & Earth" by professor Kevin Bales is an important read

These jewelers get away with it because they count on the fact that plenty of their customers don't understand the difference between real vs fake. They're only concerned about the look, not the value

I bought an engagement ring got it appraised and it matched what the dealer said and I got the paper work. It’s crazy how rappers buy diamonds and don’t get the paper work

I used to work for a jeweler and I found that the items that have small but numerous diamonds; it is usually that the diamonds are "machine cut" industrial diamonds. They are the leftovers from the high end diamonds. The value of each machine cut diamond is about $5 each. Most don't know that large diamonds (1 carat) is where the money is at.

IceBlingers is not just any other hip hop jewelry store. I've been shopping there for over a year and they have never disappointed me. They have great prices and an even better selection. I highly recommend them!

Insanely flashy jewelry is honestly just low-key some low-IQ stuff. It's absurdly valuable, easy to fence, and puts a huge target on your back. For what? The dude who said that no truly rich people are flashing bling are right. It telegraphs that you're young, in over your head, and not really thinking things through.

I used to work at a jewelry store back when "black diamonds" were popular and it was nuts because black diamonds are basically worthless... practically still 100% coal...just shiny...but because rappers fell for the lie that black diamonds were valuable and made them cool among the hip hop community, we had tons of people coming in every day asking for black diamonds. They'd end up paying three times what they were actually worth, if not more. A few times I tried whispering to customers that it wasn't worth it. That they were a scam. But most people didn't wanna hear it.

They prey on who ever is uneducated in the field. How the hell do you make a purchase like that and don’t get it double and triple checked. 🤦🏻

6:49 man what are you sayin'? if you purchase a jewelery at that price, your familly is already doing great

The main problem is the most people couldn't tell a white diamond ( natrual , lab created) from a CZ, YAG or glass. For most people if it shines and its clear its a diamond. People need to educate themselves on the different gemstones that are out there. Even if that meas they have to become GIA certified

Damn I might start a jewelry business. Imagine getting $500k for something that's worth $40. That's crazy profit.

Jewelers should be upfront on the diamond clarity. There are a lot of regular people who dgaf and will buy them. The factory can bust your watch down as well, that would be your best bet to ensure authenticity.

They deserve to get fleeced! These idiots are willing to pay $100k for jewellery but don’t even have anything close to that in a savings account!

As a fan of hip-hop music, I never understood the rappers fascination with huge jewelry pieces trying to look like bijouterie stands.

Great video! I'm a jewelry designer and I always feel second hand embarrassment when I hear how much celebs pay for cheap, gaudy jewelry.

This is why diamond testers are necessary if you’re a rapper.

“You preyed on rappers, you’ve not preyed on anyone else” yea because rappers are stupid enough to cover everything in diamonds for no reason and instantly destroy its value, don’t see your average finance bro being like yo let me destroy the value of my Rolex by putting 5k worth of diamonds on it

I’m the last five to ten years I feel like people have gone away from wanting to spend money on an actually good product or get a good deal for the value the product holds. Now it seems like people just want to spend as much as possible just to show that they got it like that, even if the product is no where near worth the price.

I had a custom piece made by a famous Houston jeweler about 15 years ago. I also bought a chain for it. I remember paying at least 2k for the chain and about 5k for the piece. Fast forward to 2021... went into a high end jewelry shop in Dallas to look for a Rolex. As I'm looking the owner saw my chain and offered to clean it. He also asked if I ever thought about selling the set. For kicks I asked what was he offering? He tested the chain, piece diamonds, and the piece gold. The diamonds checked out good, the chain gold checked out good, but the custom piece would not react to the gold test. He said it may contain gold but not enough to register 10k. The custom piece was deemed worthless. Funny part is the value of the chain is now more than the custom piece. So yeah, I got ripped off by a famous jeweler too. Fortunately gold prices are up enough for me to at least hold value in the chain.

I find the topic interesting. To be clear, scamming a rapper by selling him/her fake jewelry is a different issue from their financial decision to spend their money on jewelry instead of prepping up for financial stability. The issue of showing off as part of the hip hop culture is not financially wise. However, this does not excuse the scammer.

They buy a watch for $60,000 they spend $40,000 in diamonds now that watch is worth $10,000 when you take diamonds out. Don't Ruin expensive watches by adding bling.

As a man that makes jewelry and has been in the jewelry business for a substantial amount of years it is almost breathtaking that a lot of these rappers have not been properly educated on quality metals, stones and gems. I watch them spend so much money like it’s going out of style and them not knowing they’re getting ripped off not only because lack of quality but also the “production” these places put into their “jewelry” it’s a shame honestly. These guys buy for the look and not the weight of craftsmanship it’s hard to watch.

Fun fact: Diamonds are literally worth nothing, but they had so much stuck in stock that they created this marketing ideia around diamonds and how they last forever (which they don't) and how shinny it was, and people bought the ideia. It's actually a very common stone.

Went to a Curren$y show front row and I could literally feel his jewels presence.

I have always thought the whole crazy jewery think was weird in the first place. Expensive Diamonds are a marketing scam that has rolled on for over a hundred years.