LL Cool J's wife of 16 years, Simone I Smith, is launching her own signature jewelry collection, SIS.

The high-end brand currently offers bracelets and earrings, influenced by Simone's hip-hop adolescence in Queens, N.Y., where she met her husband LL. "I was 17-years-old when we met and I'll always remember the day that he bought me those earrings," revealed the self-proclaimed "accessory queen." "I'm definitely a 'hoop' girl. I've also been known to wear a pair of funky hoops on the red carpet, with a to-the-floor gown."

While LL and Simone have been together for almost two decades, Simone has managed to live a much more private life than most hip-hop wives. After being diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer in 2004, the mother of four underwent an invasive surgery that required two years of rehabilitation. Once she had recovered from her debilitating illness, Simone resolved to begin work on her longtime dream of transforming her "life-long affection for accessories into a thriving enterprise, one pair of dangling earrings at a time."

"She's been home with the kids for years, so it was time for me to say, 'I wanna support what you're doing,'" LL said of his wife's line.

Following the success of Simone's earrings and bracelets, SIS will expand to include bangles, cuffs, necklaces and rings. Proceeds from the line's sales will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

"Cancer affects too many people and so many families," Simone explained. "I knew I wanted to do something to help."



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