This Japanese Jeweler Is Behind Some of ASAP Rocky’s Craziest Grills
From American flags to grills featuring real flowers, Tetsuya Akiyama of Grillz Jewelz is the man making plenty of these unique customs.
ASAP Rocky has always been about his grills. Ever since he stepped onto the scene in 2011, the mouth jewelry has been a signature piece of his look. If he’s flashing his smile, don’t be surprised to see some diamonds and gold. But did you know that Rocky was working with one of the only grill makers in Tokyo to get some of his most unique sets?
Tetsuya Akiyama has been operating Grillz Jewelz in Tokyo’s Okachimachi district for 17 years. Before starting his own business, he was creating women’s fine jewelry. But grills were not big in Japan at the time. If you wanted one, you had to travel overseas to a city like New York and visit one of the jewelers there. That wasn’t an option for him. When he wanted a grill of his own, he had to learn how to make it himself. He’s been operating Grillz Jewelz ever since and is still one of the few jewelers in Tokyo crafting the flashy mouth pieces.
“When I started, hardly anyone in Japan knew about grills,” Akayama tells Complex via email. “I think it is only in the last six or seven years that grills have started to be recognized in Japan.”
In 2019, Akiyama began doing customs for ASAP Bari, which really helped put him on the map internationally. Akiyama says this skull grill he made for the designer in 2022 is one of his favorite pieces he’s ever created. Over the years, he's amassed even more high-profile clients from Steve Lacy to Ambush founder Yoon Ahn. But arguably no one is bigger than Rocky. To date, he has created 10 grills for him. Despite the strong working relationship, the two didn't meet in person until May 2023. Akiyama's latest creation for Rocky resembles the stars and stripes of the American flag, a motif that Rocky has been using frequently in the imagery for his upcoming album Don’t Be Dumb.
But is it the craziest? Check out the details on some of Akiyama’s other creations for Rocky and decide for yourself.
American Flag
Created: March 2024
This American flag-inspired grill is Akimaya’s latest work for Rocky. The full top and bottom set is made using 14 karat white gold, diamonds, rubies, and sapphires to achieve the patriotic look. Some fans were quick to point out the patriotic theme that Rocky has been using in some of his custom jewelry lately. In July 2023, he showed off a belt buckle that also incorporated the stars and stripes.
Flowers
Created: January 2021
It isn’t always just gold and diamonds. One of Akiyama’s most interesting grills actually features two teeth with real yellow and pink flowers in resin. Natural pink and yellow diamonds cover the rest of the teeth to match the petals. He rocked this special set for Yams Day 2021.
Diamond Flames
Created: November 2021
Fire and ice. How poetic. This 14 karat white gold set from 2021 features flames across the top and bottom teeth. The design was achieved using red sapphires and diamonds. A very keen eye will notice Rocky flashing it in his "D.M.B." video.
Painted Flames
Created: May 2022
So nice, they did it twice. Akiyama and Rocky revisited the fire theme to help celebrate his Vans collaboration in 2022. The pairs of Slip-On mules featured flame embroidery. This full set was made of 10 karat white gold and featured flames drawn on each tooth. The grills were even featured as part of the official campaign imagery that was displayed on the windows of the PacSun store in New York City that hosted a pop-up to mark the collab.
His World
Created: May 2021
This grill tells a story. Akiyama refers to it as “His World” on Instagram. Each tooth is a different design. Styles include a green dollar sign on a gold tooth, a photo of Mickey Mouse, a tooth covered in emeralds, a diamond border that acts as a window to the actual tooth, and enamel paintings. Plenty of people have classic gold or diamond sets. This one is truly one of a kind.
Individual Gold Teeth
Created: June 2023
This is definitely the most straightforward work that Rocky has commissioned Akiyama for. Each tooth is made of 22 karat yellow gold. Since they are 13 individual pieces instead of a connected set, they are fully customizable. Rocky can choose to wear a full set of gold fronts or put a few gold teeth in his mouth, whatever compliments the outfit best. One of the occasions we saw Rocky wearing them was to attend Pharrell’s debut Louis Vuitton runway show in Paris back in June 2023. He decided to leave one tooth uncovered on the top and bottom row to make sure everyone still could see his pearly whites.
