Estonian Jewellery Designer: Grillz Are Gaining Popularity, but Beauty Requires Sacrifice

Estonian jewellery designer Liisbet Kirss told the programme "Ringvaade" on Estonian public broadcaster ERR that removable tooth ornaments known as grillz are becoming an ever more popular fashion accessory in Estonia. She also said that not everything has to be comfortable, because beauty requires sacrifice.

From hip-hop culture to Estonia

Grillz are not fixed permanently but are worn over the teeth. In the United States they have been popular since the 1980s, and the trend began in hip-hop culture, with rappers and hip-hop fans the first to wear them. In Estonia the accessory took a long time to catch on, because people still had fresh memories of Soviet-era gold teeth among older people, and few found them attractive.

Inspiration and work

Kirss began making grillz in 2022. She said her inspiration came from memories of her grandmother's gold teeth, as well as the strong influence of hip-hop culture in her teenage years. Besides grillz, she also makes more conventional jewellery. She has made grillz for performers such as Kermo Murel, Villemdrillem and Inga. In Sveta Grigorjeva's production "Zazhigateli" all the actors wore grillz she created, which she described as quite a challenge.

Discomfort and the risk of losing them

Grillz cannot be worn while eating. Drinking in them is possible, but eating hurts the teeth. Large grillz are more like exhibition pieces, while for going out the designer picks smaller ones. They are also very easy to lose: if you take them off to eat something and tuck them into a bag or pocket, they can vanish.

Studying to be a dental technician

Kirss is currently also studying to become a dental technician. She said she saw it as the next logical step: she wants not only to indulge people's vanity but also to be able to treat them.