Eliantte is one of the go-to jewelers for many rappers. Recently, he sat down with GQ for their On The Rocks series to show off his inventory. Eliantte has created pieces for many rappers like Nicki Minaj, Migos, 21 Savage, Young Thug, and so many others. Eliantte showed some of the iciest hip hop jewelry he has made, such as Offset's trap house piece, Metro Boomin's Boominati CEO piece, and much more.
Looking at a workshop's inventory is seeing the result. The work itself happens beforehand: in the design, the choice of stones, and above all, in the way they are set onto the metal.
A custom hip-hop piece always follows the same sequence of operations. Drawing and volume validation, manufacturing of the metal structure, preparation of the stone settings, stone setting, and finally, polishing.
Stone setting is the step that decides everything. It is what provides the sparkle, but it is also what determines whether the stones will last five years or six months. Two identical diamond jewelry pieces in a photo can have radically different lifespans.
This is why a serious workshop spends as much time on preparing the settings as on the design. A poorly calibrated setting cannot be fixed during polishing.
Setting refers to the technique used to secure a stone onto metal. There are a handful of categories, and each represents a different compromise between brilliance, security, and labor costs.
Prong setting holds the stone with small metal tabs folded over it. It is the most luminous technique, as light enters from the sides and underneath. Conversely, the prongs can catch on fabric and bend over time.
Bezel setting surrounds the stone with a continuous metal rim. It is the most protective: no edges are exposed. It slightly darkens the stone, which is why it is often reserved for pieces worn daily rather than display pieces.
Pave setting covers an entire surface with small contiguous stones, held by tiny grains of metal. It is the gold standard for iced-out pieces: from afar, the metal is completely hidden.
Channel setting slides stones between two parallel bars. It provides a perfectly regular line and is suitable for rings and bracelets with a flat surface.
| Setting | Brilliance | Security | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prong | Maximum | Average | Center stone, solitaire |
| Bezel | Moderate | Very High | Everyday pieces |
| Pave | High and continuous | Good if grains are full | Iced out surfaces |
| Channel | Regular | High | Rings, flat bracelets |
A quality control benchmark: on a well-executed pave, the grains are regular and all oriented in the same direction. Irregular grains signal rushed work and foreshadow lost stones.
Three simple checks are sufficient, and none require professional tools.
The fingernail test. Run your fingernail over the set surface. On a clean pave, it should slide without snagging. If it regularly hits something, the stones are protruding from the grains and will eventually fall out.
The grazing light test. Tilt the piece under a lamp. The stones should all light up together. If some remain dull, they are poorly aligned in their settings.
The back test. Flip the piece over. Serious work is as clean on the back as it is on the front: regular settings, no soldering burrs, no holes hastily filled.
Add a fourth habit if the piece is worn daily: favor bezel or channel settings on contact areas, and keep prongs for protected surfaces.
A custom order rarely succeeds if it starts with a simple sentence. A workshop needs concrete elements to provide a quote and manufacture the item.
A visual reference first, even if imperfect: sketch, photo, screenshot. The precise design will come later, but you need a common starting point.
Dimensions next. Height and width of the design, chain length, finger size. A five-millimeter difference on a pendant completely changes its visual balance.
A choice of metal and stones finally, or at least a budget that allows for choosing between options. This parameter has the biggest impact on the quote.
Also factor in the lead time. A fully pave-set piece requires dozens of hours of stone setting, and this step cannot be accelerated without degrading the result.
One last piece of advice: ask to see the structure before setting. This is the moment when corrections remain possible without redoing everything.
Finally, anticipate the weight issue. A piece designed without mass constraints can become impossible to wear once manufactured: a ten-centimeter solid pendant will pull on the neck and deform the chain supporting it. Workshops hollow out the back of large pieces for precisely this reason.
Also keep in mind that a custom order is validated in stages. Sketch, then render or mockup, then structure before setting: at each of these milestones, a correction costs little. After setting, the slightest modification requires removing the stones one by one, which is almost like redoing the piece.
Four pieces from our catalog that illustrate different setting techniques.
A broader overview of rap jewelry is available in our complete guide to American rapper jewelry.
Have a specific project in mind? Our custom workshop always starts with a sketch and dimensions, not a blind quote.
Prong setting, because light enters from the sides and underneath the stone. Pave comes in a close second on large surfaces.
Bezel setting. The stone is surrounded by a continuous metal rim that absorbs shocks in its place.
Look at the grains: if they are irregular or poorly oriented, the work was done quickly and the stones will fall out.
This depends primarily on the surface area to be set. Setting is measured in hours of manual labor and cannot be accelerated without loss of quality.
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