Jesus piece (jewelry)

Gold Jesus Piece detailed with gems.

A Jesus piece is a spiritual or religious piece of jewelry that is popular in the hip hop community and depicts the face of Jesus with the crown made out of thorns. Many hip hop artists and celebrities, including The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Kanye West, Big Pun, The Game, Kendrick Lamar and Meek Mill among others, have adopted the Jesus piece as a common fashion accessory and have them decorated with many precious gems.[1][2] Cheaper Jesus pieces have also been sold in other materials including wood and inexpensive metals. Traditional medals in Western Christianity that are worn as necklaces have depicted the Holy Face of Jesus.[3]

The Boombox wrote in 2018 that "the Jesus piece has arguably become one of the most iconic pieces of jewellery in hip-hop"[4] while Highsnobiety penned in 2017, "the Jesus piece has arguably become the most popular pendant of all time".[5]

  1. ^ Netshiheni, Rudzani (2013-02-08). "History of the Jesus Piece". Hype Magazine. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  2. ^ Reid, Shaheem. "The Notorious B.I.G.'s Signature Accessories". MTV News. MTV. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  3. ^ "Devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus". Missionaries of Divine Revelation. 24 February 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  4. ^ Hereford, Sharee (8 February 2018). "Dollars & Chains: Hip-Hop's Long-Standing Relationship With Jewelry". The Boombox. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  5. ^ "A Brief History of Bling: Hip-Hop Jewelry Through the Ages". Highsnobiety. 2017-04-05. Retrieved 2019-12-12.