Harlem's golden "grill" maker shines
When swimmer Ryan Lochte smiled after winning a gold medal during the 2012 Olympics, he flashed the world with a glittering mouthful of red, white and blue colored diamonds.
Lochte's custom-made American flag artwork - known as a "grill" - was just one take on a longstanding cultural phenomenon first popularized by New York rappers in the '80s.
Today, the tiara for your teeth stands out as one the most identifiable trends of what Vogue Magazine recently called a new wave Harlem Renaissance of style -- a local street style that has seeped into mainstream entertainment and influenced major designers.
As Harlem historian John Reddick once said, "Harlem is a stronger brand than Chanel."
"We always could tell the Harlem guys in there because they were the flashiest ones. They always stood out when we were younger so Harlem style has been influential even from when I was a child."
Born and raised in the Bronx, and based out of the jewelry district in midtown New York, Sincere Palacios has become a go-to grill designer for athletes and hip hop artists alike from Harlem rapper ASAP Ferg to football player Aldon Smith of the San Francisco 49ers.
Not available in retail stores like Tiffany's or Zales, the 28-year-old took us through his meticulous process of grill making -- a self-taught method.
"The way I learned is that I looked up things online and read up on this book. Because all of the tutorials online always left something out," Palacios told CBS News, "So for me to learn exactly what material it was, I had to look online, do my due diligence. And then I had to learn the timing by myself. So I used to do the molds on myself."
The magic, he says, happens in the custom wax model making, a process that ultimately allows for a gold grill to sit comfortably on even the most crooked of teeth. Palacios does not disclose the ingredients of the viscous blue goo he uses, calling it his special sauce.
After the molding process is complete, Palacios heats up the oven to 2,000 degrees and gets the 14 carat gold simmering.
"The gold is probably the simplest part."
The skilled jeweler politely informs us that he does not work with customers who want a grill made of gold less than 14 carats.
Hundreds of dental moldings litter Palacios' office, speaking to the popularity of his services. But his mastery of the craft can be attributed to his collaborative creativity, he tells us, as evidenced by a grill he shows us that's in the shape of bullet shells, and a new breast cancer awareness grill.
"I want you to come to me with the craziest idea and I want us to make it happen. I like to make things that I didn't think people think was possible."
He also credits his success to his humble roots.
After finding himself homeless in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, Palacios moved back to his mother's house and forged a golden path ahead amid bleak circumstances. A group of rappers - Palacios' childhood friends -- had contacted him after losing their grills on tour so he began concocting molding formulas in his mom's kitchen.
"I looked around for a bowl and I went in my Mom's kitchen cabinet and found this. So I've been using it ever since. I was going to buy a new one but a customer reminded me that the bowl was the truth, you came with a house bowl to do molds," Palacios explained with his mother's detailed porcelain bowl in hand.
"So every artist or every NBA player or whatever that I've done, I've done with this bowl. So this bowl is going to be with me when I have millions. It's significant to me - it shows the footwork that I've put in in the city."
Taking us through photos of countless clients and friends and anecdotes of his times on music video sets and concert stages, it's clear why on a personal level, Palacios is so popular in the New York City hip hop circle - he seamlessly knits back and forth between his jewelry making and joking conversation, coming across as both disarming and larger than life.
Above all, Palacios calls grill-making an art form. And as a tastemaker for the new Harlem renaissance, he wants the whole city to know his work - including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
"He is into the culture at the end of the day. He is a pretty hip mayor from what I've seen so far. Before I wanted [former Mayor Michael] Bloomberg. But definitely de Blasio."
After trading his gold and silver mixed grill for a sparkling golden grill, Palacios tells us through a sparkling smile that de Blasio's first set of grills will be on the house.