weren’t paying attention to. He introduced those big face watches and no one thought they would sell. Now he’s the one on top. We have 3 jewelers in Houston that do work for most of the South. King Johnny does a lot of Atlanta [artists]. TV Johnny is more of a celebrity right now. I don’t want to be in the videos and the award shows. I want to just provide you with quality product. In such a competitive industry how do you rise above other jewelers? Emmett: A lot of people don’t understand that jewelry is a luxury item. It’s not gas or food where you have to buy. We have three big jewelers in Houston. I dealt with artists before the other jewelers got to them. They tell the artists, “Do a song for my mixtape and I’ll give you some jewelry.” That’s what it’s turned into. You go to TV Johnny and he make take a verse instead of money. I never do that. I always keep it business. I give them the best deals but I don’t give nothing away for free. If I go to Rick Ross and ask him to do a show for me, it’s not for free. And just like I’m going to give him his money he’s going to give me mine. It’s business. I try to compete with the Jacob’s, a new York hub. I’m trying to build a relationship and not just get your money one time. I want to give you a product that compares with the product that jewelers produce outside of Houston. A lot of jewelers in Houston don’t use the same quality I use. When you walk in my establishment it feels like a jewelry store. When you go to someone like King Johnny you’re walking in a flea market. TV Johnny just moved from Sharpstown to the Galleria because he’s trying to figure out what I do. I sell high end and I’m not all over TV. I sell high end. You can’t spend fifty grand at a flea market and expect to get the same product I’m giving you. I try to appeal to all people. You can walk in my store and spend $50 and beyond. I also like to keep product on deck. You’re not looking at a book of jewelry. You’re trying it on. I give you appraisal papers to make sure you know what you’re getting. You have to understand that this is America. Nothing is free. If a jeweler gives you something free then the piece has to be suspect. It might have diamonds in it, but its only 50% diamonds. You pay for quality.
TV Johnny
What got you started in jewelry? TV Johnny: That’s the family business. My dad, uncle, and brother were jewelers. What made you move towards Hip Hop? TV Johnny: Originally I was in Sharpstown mall and it attracts a lot of Hip Hop artists. After that I met my partner Paul Wall and we blew up together. I became a nationally known jeweler and he became a platinum rapper. Speaking of which, Paul has a new album coming out so make sure that you support him. The first pieces I did were for Paul Wall, T.I. and Lil Jon. I was just happy that I made something that they were proud to wear but I never expected for it to get this big. That makes me proud. Are you surprised at the level of celebrity you’ve attained and how are you dealing with it? TV Johnny: I really appreciate that people respect me as a celebrity but I like to keep to myself. I more focused on learning new technology so that I can make better jewelry. I don’t ever want the quality of my product to slip. What made you want to move your store? TV Johnny: Well to clear things up, we still have the store in Sharpstown. We jus also opened the Galleria store. I deal with a lot of Hip Hop artists but I also had other clientele that wanted me to open in the Galleria. I treat all my clients the same and all my clients have value. I kept the Sharpstown store because a lot of my clients still want to shop there. But a lot of the rappers I’ve done work for were excited about me being in the Galleria because they like to shop there. It’s more convenient for them to stop by the Galleria. Also, I have more than just the store. We do a lot of business on the website so if you can’t make it to Houston you can still get quality pieces from me. What’s your price range for people that want to buy a piece from you? TV Johnny: Well, let me get one thing straight. I do manufacturing as well as selling. I can start a custom piece for cheaper than others because I have my own labor force and I manufacture myself. Which piece have you done that you like the most? TV Johnny: That would be Paul’s cup. Fat Joe’s piece as well. I like making each piece because they are custom. Are you still doing a lot of grills?
TV Johnny: Yeah. The grills is what got my name out there. That is what Paul and I were known for. I just did seven different sets for T Pain. It’s not as hot as it was two years ago but people out there still want them. Besides the grills are there any other pieces you specialize in? TV Johnny: Right now we’re doing a lot of watches. We have the technology to make a lot of specialized custom pieces in the watches. We do a lot of different piece and chains. Right now we’re doing 150 pieces a week. We have a lot of accounts. What are some of the mistakes up and coming rappers make when buying jewelry? TV Johnny: Depends on who you buy from. I don’t look at buying jewelry as a mistake because gold and diamond prices have been going up. If you buy from me I’m the manufacturer so you get close to the wholesale price. If they buy from me when they return there is still value to the piece. I make my pieces and other jewelers take orders and send to a third party. That’s why I can sell 30%-40% less than the competition. I guarantee that I will be 30%-40% cheaper. A lot of rappers buy a piece for $100,000 from a jeweler but when they sell the piece back they only get $20,000. You deal with me you get close to the value or more. Plus sometime they want to change the piece and because I manufacture them, I can change it easily. How do you stay above competitors in the Hip Hop jewelry niche in Houston and the south? TV Johnny: To me there is more than enough business out here for everyone to eat. Honestly, I don’t look at other jewelers in Houston as competition. I manufacture myself and I have my own labor plus I have the best location. I give the customer a good deal. I compete with Tiffany or Cartier. I compete with the top American companies so I’m not concerned with other jewelers. Who are some of the artist’s you’ve done work for? TV Johnny: Almost any rapper. Nelly, T.I., P. Diddy, Paul, Slim Thug, Jermaine Dupri (So So Def piece shown above), DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, plus a lot of athletes like Shaquille O’Neal and Mario Williams. We also did the rosary for Lil Wayne. Any last words for potential customers out there? TV Johnny: The main point is that I make my jewelry. The people that they compare me to don’t. I manufacture my own product and sell it. In Hip Hop I’m the only one that manufactures my product. That’s why I don’t understand how other people can call themselves jewelers. They sell jewelry, but they don’t make it. People can say I’m cheaper because of low quality but that doesn’t make sense. The gold price is set. If you buy a Si or a VS stone then the price is set. I get it cheaper because I buy wholesale. The price is different when you buy one of something versus buying one hundred of something. I get quality but because I manufacture I can sell at almost wholesale. If you don’t make it and you send it to a third party then you can’t call yourself a jeweler. They don’t make jewelry. They don’t even know the new software. I never call out King Johnny or Emmett, but they like to call me out. I came after them but I can compete because I’m an actual jeweler. If they want to compete, I’m up for the challenge. I will put up $100,000 to their $10,000 to see who can make a better piece. Not send it off to another jeweler to do it, but actually make a piece. If I can’t rap I’m not going to call myself a rapper. If you can’t make jewelry then don’t call yourself a jeweler. OZONE MAG // 87