The sighting: Musical artist Ice Spice was in the most desirable, most highly visible location at the Super Bowl: right next to Taylor Swift. I saw so many photos of her on Instagram during and after the big game that I couldn’t help but notice she was wearing a very intriguing necklace.
The jewels: This dramatic design is the work of celebrity-favorite jeweler Alex Moss, who gave this piece the name “YVL” when they posted it on their Instagram account. It’s an opulent, embellished upside-down cross set with a bright purplish-pink gemstone heart in the center and embellished with stones of the same color throughout the cross and all along the chain.
I haven’t found confirmation of the gemstone, but based on the color and the budget of the people involved, I’m guessing we’re looking at some extraordinary pink sapphire or pink spinel – or possibly even ruby.
According to HopHopDx, this luxurious piece was a gift to Ice Spice from rapper Playboy Carti, who has been publicly wooing Ice Spice for some time. Jeweler Alex Moss even referred to the design as a joint concept devised in collaboration with Playboy Carti in an Instagram post about the project.
It is my understanding that the upside-down cross necklace is associated with Playboy Carti’s music label, Opium. For that reason, this style of necklace is sometimes referred to as an “opium chain.” (The reasoning behind this symbolism is, according to a Reddit thread about the design, because “they think it looks cool.”)
The trends: I am very interested to see if this piece sparks a trend! I think that the upside-down cross is a motif with too many controversial associations to gain mainstream traction, but the vivid combination of black metal and vivid pink stones is a style choice with trend potential.
I don’t think that the choice to wear jewelry associated with one’s favorite music label is likely to see a huge surge in popularity: the knowledge is too niche and most consumers won’t be interested.
What do we think? Ice Spice has a penchant for extremely large necklaces and I have to say, this style is one of my favorites that she’s worn: the upside-down cross itself, while a potentially provocative design, is quite beautiful and the pink stones are very striking against the dark metal. A creative and beautifully executed statement piece.
Judgement: 11/10 for a really fun piece of jewelry whose symbolism I am not hip enough to fully understand.
Advertisement
