Lil' Kim Loses Big Gems

Lil' Kim's bling-bling is gone-gone.

The hip-hop star says $250,000 worth of her jewelry was stolen at JFK airport in New York on Friday.

The rapper was about to leave on a morning flight to Los Angeles when she realized a Louis Vuitton bag filled with as much as $500,000 in jewelry was mixed in with her eight pieces of checked-in baggage.

Lil' Kim's attorney tells the New York Daily News that she had intended to carry the bag on board, but there was a mix-up at the check-in counter.

The flight was delayed while the bag was retrieved from the baggage hold, and was also searched when it landed in Los Angeles. The bag was fingerprinted.

The Daily News reports that the airline had advanced word Lil' Kim, a.k.a. Kimberly Johnson, would be on the flight, possibly giving crooks a heads-up to target her.

Among the items stolen were a diamond-covered "B" necklace — a reference to her "Queen Bee" record label — and dog tags packed with yellow diamonds, the newspaper reports.

Lil' Kim was on her way to LA for Tuesday's Black Entertainment Television awards. She's nominated as best female hip hop artist.

Alan Hicks, a spokesman for the Port Authority said Lil' Kim "filed a report for lost jewelry, and the incident is under investigation by the Port Authority police."

He lawyer, Mel Sachs, said that the 4-foot-11 rap artist was upset, but "should be commended for acting responsibly and being patient."