Key Takeaways
- Drake’s ninth studio album Iceman is releasing on May 15. Ahead of its arrival, Complex spoke with the jewelers behind some of his most memorable custom jewelry pieces.
- Six elite jewelers; Alex Moss, Ben Baller, Jacob the Jeweler, Jason of Beverly Hills, Mohannad Kilani, and Johnny Dang; share inside stories on pieces like the “Previous Engagements” necklace, Stone Island logo pendant, and the Anita Max Wynn chain.
- Each jeweler’s anecdotes highlight Drake’s involvement, patience, and creativity that translates into multimillion-dollar chains, watches, rings, and grills.
The game is in disarray. Drake’s Iceman is mere weeks away.
While we all await clarification from the man himself on what the title actually means, it immediately brings to mind all of the insane custom jewelry that Drake has acquired across his career. And he isn’t just buying any old diamond tennis chain or bust down watches, he is letting these jewelers create art.
“I work with a lot of celebrities and I would say that he's easily one of the most pleasant to work with,” says Jason of Beverly Hills, who has worked on numerous projects for Drake since 2017. “He has the patience to allow me to do my job. He's not rushing me through the process. He understands that a masterpiece takes time.”
Drake has accumulated one of, if not the best, jewelry collections that hip-hop has ever seen. From elaborate custom pendants to rare Rolex watches to championship rings to historical artifacts acquired at auction, he clearly has a passion for diamonds.
“I went to his house. He has a showcase like a jewelry shop,” Houston-based grills pioneer Johnny Dang told Complex.
These pieces have shown up in dozens, if not hundreds, of photos and music videos. But what goes into creating a custom diamond chain for one of the biggest rappers in the world?
Six of the biggest jewelers in the game; Alex Moss, Ben Baller, Jacob Arabov, Mohannad Kilani, Jason of Beverly Hills, and Johnny Dang; told their stories behind some of Drake’s best custom jewelry.
Previous Engagements Necklace
Designed By: Alex Moss
Alex Moss Says: “I will give props to Kai Bent-Lee. He's the one that reached out to me to make a ring as a gift [for Drake], an owl ring. After we made the ring, he basically hit me up and said, ‘[Drake] wants to work with you on a few things.’ We’ve been working together since 2022.
“For [Previous Engagements], I remember I was at the New York Public Library. I think I pulled out almost every jewelry book they had in their vault, and I was really studying old historic jewelry from the early 1900s and 1920s because we wanted to make something that was a very timeless, classic jewelry piece. I got the idea to do this rosary-style necklace just made of stones. 14 months later, we got it done. 42 stones. $10 million plus.
“When I first showed him, it was on FaceTime. We were both just freaking out for five minutes straight. I delivered it to him in Atlanta. He did a concert with Lil Baby. I didn't understand how crazy it was until the next morning. It was literally on news networks. I remember my parents were sending me stuff from Canada of it being on the fucking news. Forever 21 even made a knockoff version of it.
“That name and story were 100% his idea. He wrote the caption for me. I remember we were in the dressing room [in Atlanta] and I'm like, ‘Bro, I'm not the greatest with captions. I know you're the GOAT with captions. I need you to make something sick for me.’ I woke up the next morning and I saw he texted me at 4:30 AM, ‘Previous Engagements. For All The Times He Thought About It, But Never Did It.’ That’s a gift. He's a genius with words.”
The Crown Jewel of Toronto Pendant
Designed By: Alex Moss
Alex Moss Says: “I remember he said, ‘We need to do the sickest Toronto piece ever.’
“I always loved the Raptors logo with him biting the ball from the ‘90s. And then that Blue Jays logo was always sick. I also always loved the 2016 Toronto NBA All-Star logo with the CN Tower. And then we couldn't leave the Leafs out, so I turned that into the lock. I just wanted to encapsulate what we would want to make if we were 12 years old. That was this.
“I flew to Miami and I dropped it off. He was extremely excited about this piece. This one specifically, he was like, ‘Bro, this is the craziest piece I've ever seen.’
“He wore this one in the “8AM in Charlotte” video. I also thought it was pretty cool that this piece ended up in the American Museum of Natural History. It’s one of my favorite pieces ever.”
Stone Island Logo Pendant
Designed By: Ben Baller
Ben Baller Says: “I connected with Drake in 2008. I met him at the Apple store in the Beverly Center. Ironically, that’s where my [IF and Co.] jewelry store is today. He was bubbling a little bit. I think Comeback Season had just come out. He wasn’t famous then, but we became friends on Myspace and he would hit me up about random shit. We would drive all around Los Angeles with the OVO boys and listen to So Far Gone. So, that was sort of the genesis.
“Fast forward to 2016-2017, Drake was spending a lot of time in London. He wanted a piece to commemorate that culture. The custom Stone Island logo came directly from the brand and was approved by the CEO. And Drake wanted the big Hermes link chain for it with the emeralds, black diamonds, and canaries. The ‘Gyalchester’ line, ‘Hermes link, ice blue mink,’ is a shout out to this chain we were doing at the time.
“So, Drake got me a first class ticket direct from LA to Manchester to deliver the chain. All of the flights ended up getting canceled, so I had to connect in New York City. The moment I land in Manchester, white glove service. We get to the Lowry. It's like the nicest hotel in Manchester. As soon as I check in, Chubbs knocks on my door like, ‘Yo man, he wants to see you.’ I was only supposed to be in Manchester for two days. I ended up flying to fucking London and staying there for five days. It was just a crazy time.
“The chain ended up making the news in Manchester. The Stone Island CEO had me make smaller versions for him and his kids. This was certified. I can say with confidence, the overall start to finish delivery, the story behind it, the person, everything that's tied to that, it has to be a top three chain in my career.”
Jacob and Co. Five Time Zone Watches
Designed By: Jacob Arabov aka Jacob the Jeweler
Jacob Arabov Says: “We first connected in 2020, just before COVID. Drake had been a longtime fan, and his team reached out and made the personal introduction.
“Drake asked me to be in his music video ["When to Say When & Chicago Freestyle”], and of course, I said yes. It was a great experience and was actually filmed on location at our store. We closed the store for a few hours to make it happen.
“The Five Time Zone, my first ever timepiece, rose to fame on the wrists of some of the greatest hip-hop artists ever. It’s an honor that Drake is keeping this legacy alive with a timepiece that is so meaningful to me and my career.”
Jacob and Co. Casino Watch
Designed By: Jacob Arabov aka Jacob the Jeweler
Jacob Arabov Says: “Drake has always appreciated pieces that are both technical and playful, so the Casino watch immediately spoke to him. When he saw we had created a fully functional roulette table on the wrist, he immediately had to have it. When he saw the watch in person, his face lit up. I walked him through the mechanics and let him play with it, which is really the point of that piece. It’s not just about telling time, it’s about creating an experience. I loved seeing his genuine excitement, and it was a really special moment for both of us.”
OVO “O” Pendant
Designed By: Kilani
Mohannad Kilani Says: “I got to know Drake around 2011, 2012. We did a few pieces prior to the big ‘O.’ Drake is very creative with his ideas. He reached out to me and wanted something crazy, never done before, and on a huge scale. He wanted something to represent the ‘Chaining Tatum’ line [from ‘Pop Style.’]
“We shut down our whole factory for him in order for us to finish on time. It took us approximately three weeks to finish with a complete factory shutdown. It was the whole team, around 25 individuals, all involved from design process to polishing to setting to traveling to engraving.
“We delivered it with white glove service to Drake at his studio [in Toronto]. He signed one of our gloves and we still have it framed. He even did an interview where he said that the chain helped him complete [Views].”
Anita Max Wynn Chain
Designed By: Jason of Beverly Hills
Jason Says: “Being a creative himself, he's very specific about the pieces he wants. He's very involved in the process, from the inception of the design to the entire manufacturing process. When he reached out to me about that particular piece, he explained to me he had an alter ego and he wanted it to be a statement piece.
“Without exaggeration, we went through 25 to 30 different iterations of design before he picked the one that he wanted, which is kind of typical in designing with him. He's very specific in what he likes and how he wants it. So there was probably a good four weeks of just going back and forth on design before we ever got into production.
“We always want to surprise the client with an added feature. On this one, we had a built-in compartment in the back of the pendant, which opens up and reveals the skyline of Toronto. He had no idea until the day we delivered it. It was in Beverly Hills and he was just floored.
“This one took approximately two months to create and is worth $750,000 to $1 million. It's definitely one of the top 10 pieces we've made.”
Toronto Raptors Championship Ring
Designed By: Jason of Beverly Hills
Jason Says: “The first year I connected with Drake was probably 2017 after I did the Warriors Championship ring. He was a big fan and he had reached out.
“We also did the Toronto Raptors Championship ring in 2019. He is a huge Toronto Raptors fan. He wanted to design his version of what a Toronto championship ring should look like. It’s the first time I've ever done a one-of-one championship ring for anyone.
“I deal with a lot of celebrities and he's probably the only client that would send a driver in a Bentley to come pick me up from the airport and put me up in a presidential suite at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto just to deliver a single ring.
“We've done multiple championship rings for him now. Of course, this one was the one for the Raptors, but he also has his own three-on-three tournament that he hosts at his house in Toronto with a bunch of friends. For three years in a row, we made championship rings for the winners of that which rival, if not exceed, some of the championship rings we've made for pro teams. It’s a testament to what type of person he is. We've done these enormous rings for his own personal rec league just to celebrate a championship amongst him and his friends.”
For All the Dogs Fangs Grill
Designed By: Johnny Dang
Johnny Dang Says: “I don’t remember exactly when I first met Drake, but it’s been about 20 years. In the beginning, he would do a lot of really small shows in Houston and I would just pull up. The very first grill I did for him was an invisible set because I’m one of the creators of that style.
“Whenever he is in Houston, he texts me. For For all the Dogs, he wanted a grill with the long fangs. I actually did three or four sets like that for him: one with shorter fangs, one fully iced out, one fully solid, and the one he wore that was iced-out but had solid gold fangs. It took me a week. To get the fangs to fit perfectly, we had to set every diamond by hand. It has to be a top 10 grill I’ve ever made.”
