If you turn on the TV and flip to the entertainment channel, chances are you're going to be squinting at the brightness of the stars decked out in their most extravagant suits and gowns, as well as the biggest and boldest hip hop jewellery you have ever seen. You can find the "bling" on their wrists, necks, ears, and even their teeth!

P. Diddy, one of the godfathers of the hip hop industry today, usually wears his chains and big studs as his trademark, all from the famous brand called Jacob and Co. You will almost always find the hip hop stars like 50 Cent and Ludacris wearing these kinds of jewellery. Today, however, it isn't only the rich celebrities who wear the ice. There are lots of retail stores like those on 50 Cent's website that offer the goods at a cheaper price.

The main reason why celebrities wear the flashy jewellery is for attention. They are meant to catch
the eye and say 'hey, this is the way I live'. This is why you'll find many artists like Ja Rule and LL Cool J wearing silver and gold chains in their music videos. Other popular pieces that celebrities wear are spinner watches and rings that are customized such as Usher's "U" pendant which is his trademark or Lil Jon's grills on his teeth.

Slowly, women are also beginning to catch up on the trend as you'll see Beyonce and Missy Elliot strutting their stuff in oversized diamond earrings and necklaces in so many colors and shapes. You can bet that the diamonds on their neck are 100% real.

History tells us, however, that hip hop wasn't the first to go flashy in the celebrity world. Remember Elvis Presley or Tom Jones? They used to wear flashy clothes and jewellery as well. The important thing to note is that the celebrities have much influence over their fans, us normal folk, such that we wear what they wear, only for a much cheaper price.