I met Dave East several years ago at an event with Cheo (@cheodadon) at The Bakery (@bakery.hny) in Harlem, a spot that's less a store and more a landmark, where people come to shop, network, and just be around good energy.

Dave has an elite jewelry collection. It's quality over quantity with him, and that's rare. He wasn't one of my regular clients, but when it comes to grillz, there's no other choice but Gumbo Grillz.

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The story behind his set started at that same event at The Bakery. Dave told my partner Sin (@the.choice.24.7) that he wanted grillz like Big Pun. When Sin relayed it to me, my answer was simple: say less. We got to work.

A one-of-one Gumbo Grillz set on the mold: stone-set lettering and bezel-set details
A one-of-one Gumbo Grillz set on the mold: stone-set lettering and bezel-set details
Every Gumbo Grillz set starts here: a precision mold of the client's teeth
Every Gumbo Grillz set starts here: a precision mold of the client's teeth

Recently, I caught up with Dave again, this time to clean his collection. According to GQ, Dave sees his jewelry as trophies for his hard work, which tracks with everything I've seen of his collection firsthand. Quality pieces, chosen with intention.