Treasure Chest

An exhibition puts the jewelry of iconic hip-hop artists on display.

"Try conquering my crown and that's really very silly," Slick Rick rapped with characteristic insouciance in his song "The Ruler's Back" (1988), a narrative that later nods to the "smashin' " fashion of friends at a party. This month, the American Museum of Natural History's "ice Cold" exhibition has that very crown on display (pictured above)—along with pieces from the jewelry collections of Notorious B.I.G.; Tyler, the Creator; and Nicki Minaj. The show, held in the Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals, tracks the phenomenon of jewelry in hip-hop music as wearable trophies that signify success, affiliation, and reverence. "All the artists were taking their cues from street culture," says guest curator Vikki Tobak, "and that ostentatious street-is-runway sort of thing." Prized items will include Nas's famed QB piece, a rose gold and diamond Roc-A-Fella Records pendant by Jacob & Co., and two of Erykah Badu's grills by Lillian Shalom. A glittering symphony.

DAISY SHAW-ELLIS

FOR DETAILS, GO TO VF.COM/CREDITS.