Jacob the Jeweler

The 2007 MTV VMAs will be broadcast Sunday night from Sin City at The Palms Resort Casino in Las Vegas with performances by Kanye West, Rihanna and many more. Some celebs will be collecting Moonmen, and other’s won’t, but you can bet that almost all will be flossing bling-bling from Jacob the Jeweler.

The New York-based diamondeer, whose real name is Jacob Arabo, supplies such A-listers as Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z , Kanye West and 50-Cent with their often outrageously outsized adornments. The glitterati love Arabo for his willingness to custom make unique jewels in a short time frame — often in as little as five days.

“There are too many generic looking pieces in the marketplace right now—there is a sameness that is not interesting”, said Jacob Arabo. “I want to bring excitement to the market and something special to our clients. The diamonds cuts I choose are the most romantic in the world - I want to also make them fun and sexy to wear. Luxury is not just a ‘thing’; it is an experience.”

So how did Jacob the Jeweler get his claim to fame? About tens years after opening the doors to sell his gems in Manhattan’s Diamond District in 1986, R&B singer Faith Evans walks in and falls in love with one of his rings. She asks Arabo he could hold it with a five-dollar deposit and her brother would come back the following day to pay. Arabo having no idea who Faith is, laughs at the absurb proposal. Luckily, Arabo’s sister was nearby and told him, “What have you got to lose? The girl wants it - put it away for her.”

The next day, Biggie Smalls walks in to pay for the ring, and picks up some bling-bling himself. Smalls then brought over LL Cool J and Sean “Diddy” Combs. They brought over their famous friends, and a legend was born.