January’s Biggest Celeb Jewelry Purchases: Ye’s $850,000 Fronts, North West’s First Grills, and More

Jeweler: Thomas Connelly, DDS and Angel City Jewelers

Yes, you read that number correctly. Recently, Ye leaned into his villain (or superhero) fantasies to craft a set of titanium fronts inspired by the James Bond villain Jaws. When Ye first shared these pieces on his Instagram stories, many believed that he actually exchanged his natural pearly whites for titanium teeth. Complex actually reached out to the dentist who did the job, Thomas Connelly, to confirm that was not what actually happened. Connelly explained that Ye underwent a procedure called fixed prosthodontics, which is when the grills we see above are fixed to his teeth. “He did not have his teeth removed," Connelly told Complex. "He still has a full dentition. Healthy and happy." Ye’s new fronts were made out of precious metals like titanium, palladium, platinum, and other precious metals. What would give most of us a toothache is the reportedly $850,000 price tag that this procedure cost. 

Jeweler: Jewelry Unlimited

Playboi Carti has been on a roll these past couple weeks by blessing fans with new singles to tease the release of his upcoming album Music. Carti has really been putting in work recently, so it’s no surprise to see that he’s also been treating himself. While he’s been flexing many different pieces, he kicked off January by sharing this eye-catching ring through a SMACK DVD-inspired Instagram video. Like other pieces Carti’s been picking up, this one also feels loosely inspired by the gothic style of Chrome Hearts jewelry. The ring’s completely iced out from all angles and features a gigantic diamond stone. 

Jeweler: Gabby Elan 

Yes, North West likely became the youngest celebrity this month to get a pair of Gabby Elan grills. While most 10-year-olds will have to hit up Reynolds to craft a piece out of tinfoil, West has consistently proven to us that she’s the flyest elementary school kid out there. Gabby Elan’s Elan Pinhasov told Complex that the two-piece set was crafted out of 14-karat white gold and VVS+ diamonds. It cost $14,000. Let it sink in that a child is a much bigger baller than you for a second.

Jeweler: Ben Baller

After producing some of reggaeton’s biggest hits for decades, the Grammy Award–winning producer Tainy finally released his debut studio album, Data, in 2023. To no surprise, Data is currently a nominee for the Best Música Urbana Album at the 2024 Grammys. To celebrate Tainy’s milestone album, the producer’s good friend J Balvin hit up Ben Baller to create a custom piece inspired by its cover art. It was the first custom piece that Baller’s made in over a year and features 50 total carats of natural diamonds and gemstones. According to Baller’s post, this hefty piece carries a total of 9,999 stones. 

Jeweler: Gabby Elan

Erykah Badu has always been recognized for her avant-garde personal style. So it comes as no surprise that when she recently tapped Gabby Elan to make herself a custom pair of grills, she took a very different approach. While none of us would ever want cracked teeth, Badu’s set of two-tone grills perfectly captures the look of cracked mosaics similar to what you’ll find in subway stations throughout New York.