FE ATU RE

If you love sparkly things, then JimmyBoi’s Instagram Stories will make you drool. In one he
holds two huge diamond-encrusted rings on his sausage-like fingers. “Oh yeah,” he says in a bari-
tone Southern drawl that reminds you of either a pimp or a barbecue chef, as he starts to describe
the quality and caliber of his custom-made jewels. “We got that baguette spaghetti, Hawaiian baby
red, Cuban. Big rocks. And we got that Cuban and that Gucci. Two tizzle. White and yellah, killah.”
He pronounces “baguette” so that it rhymes with “spaghetti.” If you don’t understand his vernac-
ular, that’s because he’s using the code of the streets. After all, JimmyBoi is “The Streets’ Jeweler.”
While Johnny Dang and Ben Baller have become household names for their famous hip-hop-
style grills and custom diamond jewelry for the multiplatinum set, JimmyBoi insists that what
separates him from his fellow Asian American peers is that only he started out as a customer. “I
was Johnny Dang’s client before,” JimmyBoi says. “I was Ben Baller’s client before. I was other
jewelers’ clients before. I dealt with all the jewelers. When I was in the streets buying jewelry, I
was considered a cash cow to the jewelers, as in ‘Yo, we know if we get this guy’s business, he’s
going to bring us a lot of business because he knows a lot of people.’ Not only have I heard every lie
a jeweler can tell a client, I’ve also told every lie that a client can tell to a jeweler, like ‘Yo, I got you
next week,’ and I pay you next month. There’s no one out there who can relate.”
JimmyBoi lives hood rich. His newish 5,000-square-foot house is located in a Houston neigh-
borhood where plastic surgeons and ballplayers live. His extravagant lifestyle includes flaunting
yachts, luxury rides and racks of cash. His clients include some of the most relevant entertainers
on the scene: Roddy Ricch, Plies, Blac Youngsta, Future, the controversial Tekashi 6ix9ine, the
Weeknd and many others. Obtaining an interview with JimmyBoi is challenging, as his availability
and responses are elusive. But when we finally catch up with the Vietnamese American Texan,
we are surprised to learn that the real Jimmy Phan is just as much a caring and committed father
figure as he is The Streets’ Jeweler. And even more surprising, he comes from three generations of
Vietnamese fame: his rock star father, himself and his Insta-famous daughter.

Colorful

Diamonds in

the Rough

How “The Streets’ Jeweler” JimmyBoi walked away from a life of

crime and went legit.

TEXT BY SERENA KIM
PHOTOS BY AUSTIN S. YU