Why do we wear jewelry?

Jewelry exemplifies achieving the American dream in the hood. Jewelry is hood trophies or status symbols showing that we came from nothing and now we have everything we ever wanted. The second reason I’ll point out that we wear jewelry has a very deep psychological and controversial point: to defend our actions from our deeper moral compass. The struggle and conflict we had to experience to shine bright with our jewelry: the epitome of blood diamonds. Just to have the opportunity to express ourselves through a form communication that speaks very loud in our community that requires no words and very bold conclusions.

The most understood universal statement in this form of non-verbal communication is the bigger the chain, the deeper the pockets. To take it a step further, customized jewelry helped tell a story. It became more personal expressing ourselves when we go to choose our new piece. Custom jewelry shows individualism by icing our name out, our connection to community with our blocks and cliques, the strong beliefs we learn like street codes, symbolism like method man with the iced-out ice pick or Shawty Lo with diamonds inside of the crack vials, and associations like the death row chain that may make us targets.

So what do we achieve with our jewelry?

Attention - From my experience, the people that I attracted with jewelry only stayed around long enough to learn how they could benefit from me. Were they able to capitalize from my image?

Respect - At this point you have an image protect of you which comes with a cost of eventually being stuck in the past and not evolving with the times. We see them every day, the washed-up old head still talking about the 80’s. His shirt is just as faded and outdated as his advice. No one ever chooses to be him as a career. It’s when we refuse to change with the times.

Confidence - Feeling better about our current situation by hiding our insecurities and fears behind our shiny precious metals. It’s like a shield of protection from the world. What others physically see of us are as bright, precious, and flawless as the jewelry that we wear.

What’s at risk with jewelry?

Unrealistic Expectations - that you have so much disposable cash that you can spend and fulfill the wishes of others. The luxurious shopping sprees, expensive gifts, trips, and other ways to waste of money.

Fake Love - I can’t tell you the countless times when family and friends were left high and dry when they were no longer beneficial to the people that so called loved them.

Hidden Enemies - Not all attention is good attention. Some attention comes with robbers. Other attention comes with indictments. Neither of those type of people we’re looking to summon. Keep that bad energy over yonder!


What is the true impact and compromise?

Increasing your human capital - We’re talking about earnings potential here. Investing in yourself because people are willing to pay for your time, the game you have within you, not what’s on you. Money for jewelry could be easily used to increase your value to others through education.

Formulating generational wealth - Investments take time to manifest. We should always start now to change the trajectory of our lives. The money we spend on jewelry is an initial or larger investment we could make elsewhere in stocks, real estate, collectibles, or entrepreneurship.

Longevity - Jeopardizing your livelihood. Overall, I’ve been robbed six times. Every encounter could have been the end of the road for me. Simply from being crabs in the barrel. We’re killing each other over resources that we believe are limited to our community but have to realize that there’s a larger world with unlimited resources and enough for us all.

The takeaway here?

Being that rap music was created and pioneered in the streets, the flashy jewelry was brought to mainstream entertainment. Which I’ll say it if no one else will: jewelry is expensive pain that represents the beautiful struggle. The physical struggle that we so long to escape but a struggle mentality we inherited as culture. We should want to escape mentally just as we do physically because the compromise is a stunt in your personal growth, taking the generational wealth you’re building for your family to the next level, and avoiding the wrong attention that may be deadly. I’m not asking you to agree with me. I’m asking you to critically think deeply about how jewelry impacts our culture.