What the heck does "Bling" mean?

[yeti]

Am I just getting old? Been hearing the "Bling" word for a while now. It obviously refers to nice shiny stuff, but what exactly is the derivation? Is it from the Brietling watch?

[keefer]

Jamaican slang that has been adopted by some African American rappers and inserted into popular culture. The term "Bling Bling" refers to the imaginary "sound" that is produced from light reflected by a diamond. See The Silvertones "Bling Bling Christmas" for the earliest known usage of the slang.

[yeti]

Ah, so it really is obscure then. And there was I thinking it referred to Mr Brietling's rather lovely range of watches!

[JPM]

Imagine that nice shiny anodised pressure plate on your bike, you don't NEED it, but it's there, and looks the dogs....

Bling!