Stay Cool This Winter with Our Favorite Iced-Out Chains & Pendants

Anybody who knows true hip hop fashion understands the importance of having a dope collection of gold chains. And few gold chains are as flossy and bossy as the iced-out chain—a style encrusted in diamonds to give you that extra glow. From your homie’s house to the club, you can rock these iced-out gold chains and pendants all year long to keep your look on fleek. 

This season, invest in some frosty new bling to remind everybody of your fire fashion choices and your boss attitude. Here’s everything you need to know about purchasing and caring for these sick pieces.

What Does “Iced Out” Mean?

“Iced out” is a phrase that refers to a piece of jewelry that has been encrusted with diamonds. However, if a piece of jewelry is called “iced out,” that doesn’t mean it has just a few diamonds; it needs to be absolutely decked out in diamonds. We mean literally covered in these expensive little stones. These gems tend to be on the small size in order to fit more onto the piece, giving it a greater sparkle and shine from a distance as the many diamonds catch and reflect the light. 

How to Take Care of Your Iced-Out Jewelry

Caring for your jewelry is extremely important to ensure its longevity and beauty. Gold chains, especially iced-out ones, can be expensive and, if you’re going to drop a lot of dough on a dope piece, you want to make sure it’s going to last for a long time. 

Remember that, if you’re buying truly quality pieces like the ones in our collection at Gold Urban, these items are made from expensive precious gems and metals and need to be treated with care. Follow these tips to keep your jewels in pristine condition.

Store Them Somewhere Safe

Iced-out gold chains are far from being considered a piece of costume jewelry, so don’t treat them like they are. Costume jewelry is made from cheap materials that tarnish and break easily, which is why most people don’t take the time to properly care for these pieces because they’re not going to last anyway. 

With a genuine gold chain, you need to be a little more careful. Find a safe place away from dirt and dust to keep your chains. This will prevent them from getting grimey. Storing your chains away somewhere, like in a stand-up jewelry box or even a safe, will also reduce the chances of you or someone else accidently breaking the pieces. Although it’s unlikely, there is also a chance that someone could enter your home and steal your expensive pieces—yet another reason to keep them tucked away when possible.

Clean Them Regularly

One of the greatest advantages of buying real gold jewelry is that pure gold does not ever tarnish. However, it’s nearly impossible to make a piece of jewelry out of entirely pure gold because the metal is so naturally malleable that it can be easily molded and scratched, which is why it must be mixed with other metal alloys. This is what is meant by different gold purities denoted by 10K, 14K, 18K, 22K and 24K. 

Pure gold is referred to as 24K because it is made up of 24 parts gold, while other varieties are made from less of the metal. For example, 14K is 14 parts gold, 10 parts metal alloy. Every gold piece adds up to a total of 24. 

If you’re purchasing a piece with a lower purity, like 10K or 14K, there is an advantage because it is often cheaper and looks just as nice, in terms of quality, but these options are also more prone to tarnishing because they have less gold. Most gold chains are made from 10K to 18K, meaning it’s very important that you clean them regularly to prevent tarnish and gunk from building up. Try using jewelry cleaner specifically made for gold, or you can use try using the vodka method.

Consider Getting Your Jewelry Insured

Whenever you make an expensive purchase, whether it’s jewelry or a new home, you also tend to get insurance because it protects the expensive investment that you’ve made. When it comes to iced-out jewelry, you certainly are not required to get insurance, but it can help you in the future. 

Before you can purchase insurance, you must get your jewelry appraised by a certified jewelry appraiser. This will put an official value to your piece and let the insurance company know how much they need to cover should your piece get stolen or even damaged (though not every type of insurance offers this coverage). 

Our Favorite Iced-Out Gold Chains and Pendants

• Miami Cuban Link Style 
  

The Miami Cuban link style is an absolutely classic when it comes to gold chains. If you don’t already own one in this design, you should. The slightly elongated links hook together to create an old-school type of look that has been rocked by everybody from Run DMC to Jay-Z. This style is unique because it can easily be worn solo or with a pendant. 

If you’re wearing a thicker chain in this style, we think it tends to look better just on its own, especially if you’re opting for the iced-out gold chain version. It helps the diamonds and the necklace to pop. When the chain is really thick, it can sometimes distract people from looking at the pendant. If you have a thinner style of Cuban link chain, however, why not try switching up and adding a pendant one day?

• Tennis Chain

The tennis chain is a popular iced-out look because it appears as if the entire necklace is just one long strand of diamonds, baby. There’s nothing quite as flossy as a pure diamond necklace. However, the chain style is thinner, so, if you’re not feeling extra, this style can be used for a more subtle yet still boss look. 

The tennis chain has definitely been rocked solo before, but we like this style if you’re looking for a good chain to add to a pendant. Just be careful to keep the ratio of your chain thickness to the size of your pendant within reason. Some chains look silly if they’re thin but trying to support a super-heavy thick pendant.

• Rope Chain
  

The rope chain is a unique look on its own, but when you add some diamonds to this piece, it becomes an entirely new look. The rope chain is designed to have several different strands of very small links braided or wrapped around each other, giving it a rope-like appearance, as suggested by the name of the style. The way that the necklace twists and turns around itself makes an incredibly unique shine when the style has been iced out. This is a dope and flashy piece if you’re really looking to stunt on someone.

• Franco Chain
  

The Franco chain is another traditional style for hip hop jewelry and can be a staple piece in your collection because it can easily be styled with a laid-back tee and jeans kind of outfit or dressed up with a suit for a big night out. 

The links on this chain are more closely connected and create a V-shape. You can easily add a pendant to this style and allow it to stand out against the more solid, continuous-looking chain or rock it solo. If you’re going to get an iced-out Franco chain, be aware that this style isn’t quite as flashy as the iced-out Cuban link or some of the other more unusual designs, making it a great subtle option. 

• Gucci Puff Chain
  

This style of gold chain isn’t as common as the previous three styles, so it offers a lot in the way of uniqueness. If you’re the kind of baller who likes to stand out from the rest of the crowd, the Gucci Puff is definitely the look for you. This iced-out gold chain is made up of flat oval pieces covered in diamonds and connected by a small O-ring. Because the necklace itself is made up of decently large pieces, this style always works great on its own, especially when combined with a few other types of chains to give your wardrobe an extra flossy look.

• Byzantine Chain
  

A truly one-of-a-kind style, the Byzantine iced-out chain is for any player looking to floss on the entire club. You might be able to get away with wearing this style during the day, but it is not meant to be casual. Every link is a complex design of half circles and ovals connecting each intricate piece and overlaid with beautiful diamonds. It is actually impossible to walk into a room and not capture the attention of everybody nearby with a statement piece like this. 

It could be worn with a pendant if you opt for a longer-length chain but, really, it’s pretty extra on it’s own, so a pendant could potentially only distract from the unique design of the chain itself.

• Hermes Link
  

Another less common, but also less flashy, option for iced-out chains—the Hermes link. This is a simple chain connected by alternating ovals with small diamonds encrusted on each—perfect for an everyday chain. If you like the style of the Hermes link but want to make it a bit flossier, try adding an iced-out pendant to attract more attention, or you can mix and match it with other more blinged-out necklaces of varying lengths.

Our Favorite Iced-Out Pendants

• Jesus Pieces
  

Possibly the most famous and sought-after type of iced-out pendant is the Jesus piece. As most hip hop fans know, the Notorious B.I.G. was the first famous rapper to popularize this style pendant with his own custom piece featuring an image of Jesus’s head. You can rock this piece as a testament to Biggie himself, a tribute to your own beliefs and faith, or even as a fashion statement. You’ll find a variety of iced-out pendants with different styles of Jesus and placements of diamonds.

• Emoji Pendant
  

Another popular type of iced-out pendant today is the emoji style. We all know and love the digital hieroglyphs used on our mobile phones. Now, you can make them a part of your everyday wardrobe to further express your personality and sense of style. The Gold Urban emoji pendants are one-of-a-kind and available in all your favorite symbols, including the crying/laughing face, the tongue-out face, the wink, praying hands, and, of course, the poop emoji.

• Other Religious Imagery
  

Religious images are some of the most popular types of pendants for iced-out and traditional gold chains but, if you’re looking for a Jesus piece, you can also browse our other religious item pendants. For Christian symbols, we have a variety of unique cross designs. You can also shop our selection of Buddha images and Judaism symbols like the Star of David.

• Objects
  

Aside from emojis and religious symbols, Gold Urban has dozens of unique iced-out pendant options to fit your personality and style. Rock a diamond marijuana leaf or opt for one of many animals, including goats and owls. You’ll also discover unusual designs like an electric plug outlet, a money bag, a house, and so much more. Pick your favorite styles, and then mix and match your pendants with your new dope gold chain styles.

Gold Urban Has All of Your Iced-Out Needs

Nothing says “baller” quite like an iced-out gold chain, which is why Gold Urban has the highest-quality selection of dope pieces for ballers like you. Shop our extensive collection of styles to find the perfect pendant and matching chain to add to your own collection or find a new solo chain to rock from the streets to the office. 

Each of our pieces has been carefully handcrafted by artisan jewelers to ensure our line is made from genuine top-notch materials, and each piece has a high-quality finish to keep its shine and luster locked in for years to come.