This stunning collection of the wildest and the brightest in outlandish jewels treats readers to the decisive showcase of all things bling. Connoisseurs Reggie Osse and Gabriel Tolliver consider the influence of bling on the burgeoning 1980s hip-hop scene, unearth its possible historical exponents such as 'Sun King' Louis XIV, and bring the subject right up to present-day pop culture, showing how artists such as J-Lo and 50 Cent have carved their very personas from dripping themselves liberally in gold and diamonds. Mixing commentary with flamboyant photographs of hip-hop's biggest stars, Bling reveals the history and the mystery of this ultimate extravagance with style. So if you want to know your ice from your truck jewels, how to go about cleaning and flipping your rocks, or, if you simply wish to read a brilliantly well-informed history of hip-hop's much-hallowed Golden Age, Bling will certainly illuminate you. All that glitters may not be gold but it's bound to be blingin'.