All language subtitles for The.World.According.to.Jeff.Goldblum.S01E12.1080p.WEB.H264-PETRiFiED

Hey! Yeah, I'm talking to you.

Do you understand why it is
that people are so deeply enthralled...

with gold, diamonds, and precious jewels?

-Stocks are out and jewelry's in.
-Bling it on!

The global jewelry market
is worth almost 300 billion dollars.

A figure that's likely, by the year 2035,
to more than double.

Might it be the glamour,
the glitziness, the sparkle?

Are we just showin' off,
or could there be something meaningful

that's buried deep beneath the surface?

We're talking about jewelry.
I'm Jeff Goldblum.

Howdy, ma'am.
We're here in Houston on a hot, hot day

to meet the King of Bling,
as he calls himself, Johnny Dang.

He's the jeweler to some big,
big stars,

and Dang's creations
have helped define the way

that so-called "bling"
is worn in popular culture.

Myself where I stand, the truth is,
tactilely, I like to have nothing.

I like to be naked.

And speaking of which, I've never tried
any of these teeth things.

But you know,
I'm of a changing, fluid mentality.

But we've got a special golden ticket,
and we're... we're going inside.

Where I come from,
it was always impolite to say,

"Hey, how much money you got?"
Or, "How much did you pay for that?"

Don't show off!

I never wanted to spend
all that much money

on a piece of jewelry, anyway.

My God, Johnny Dang!

Don't move a muscle. Don't get up.
I know you're in the middle

- of an important deal.
- Yeah.

Hi, how are you?

- You're getting a grill?
- Yes.

Yes.

Have another reason to smile.

This is the first time
I've been in this room. This is crazy!

It's like,
you ever see the movie Scarface?

-Yes.
-He's like Tony Montana.

- He's like Tony...
- But a lot nicer?

But nicer? Well, I don't know. I mean.

You know.

Johnny Dang, congratulations.
You've made another sale.

Appreciate it.

-Thank you.
-Thank you so much.

- Excuse me. Thank you.
- Yeah, well, grills...

This is your... this is your specialty?

Grills! How did that happen?
Why did you become...

- You were?
- Yes.

So why do we like it? Do we like it
'cause everybody else is wearing it

or there's really something
about shiny, shiny things?

Yeah. Very shiny.

Right, right.

Yeah.

I guess so. I guess so.

And they really like it.

I do it with ease
So they think that it's easy

Grills exploded
into the hip-hop mainstream

all thanks to one particular rapper
right here in Houston,

and I'll be jingoed
if we didn't track him down.

Paul Wall.

-Yes, sir.
-That's your rapper name,

-somebody told me.
-That's my rapper name, yeah! Yup.

Now, you've got... Look at those grills!
Do you see his...

Let me see. Look at that!

-Well, how about that?
-Yes, sir.

-You are something!
-We call this the "disco ball."

-Disco ball?
-Yeah.

- We call this the disco ball.
- Sure, disco ball.

Could you do a little bit
of Texas rap right now, ready?

Five, six, seven, eight. Go.

What it do baby
It's the Iceman Paul Wall

I got my mouth looking
Something like a disco ball

I got the diamonds
And the ice all hand-set

I could cause a cold front
If I take a deep breath

-Yes, sir.
-Jeez, you are fantastic.

And you started him out, Johnny Dang.
You were the first rapper,

and you brought
all the other rappers here.

Yeah, yeah,
I was like a walking billboard.

I'm like a walking billboard.

So, of course, you know, me coming up
in my career as an entertainer or rapper,

all the other rappers are like,

"Man, hold up. How come your grill
looks different than mine?

"Let me get in on that,
let me get one of your grills like that.

"Who made your grill?"
"My boy Johnny Dang."

You ever get any problems from guys,
from people, who are, like,

don't have much money
for one reason or another.

And they go, "Hey,
you're showing off too much.

-"How come you're rich? And what..."
-Yeah.

-"Couldn't I have some of that money?"
-Yeah.

"Shouldn't we equalize all the wealth?"
You ever hear that?

We definitely should, but my response is

what encouraged me
was to see people shining

who worked hard for it,
went out there and got it.

They had adversity,
but they overcame it.

That's what inspired me
to go out and do it.

So, hopefully, this will be used
as some type of inspiration

for those who don't have it.

-If they want it, they use it.
-I see.

All right, let me show you the factory.

- Setting diamonds like this.
- Right.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

Whose teeth?

That's Beyoncé's teeth?

This is Beyoncé's teeth!

Hey! She's got little, tiny teeth!

Look how tiny.
Well, she's a delicate creature.

Look at my big horse teeth compared.

Her husband is Jay-Z.
Wait a minute, Mr. Will Smith. I know him.

Look at that. Justin Bieber?

Our attraction to this shiny stuff
is nothing new.

And who likes graphics?
Okay, now listen up.

The story goes that somebody came up
with that word "bling"

to refer to...

...the sound of light
hitting a shiny object.

Ding. Ding

Grills might seem like
a modern phenomenon,

but, their roots go way, way back.

Sources claim that decorated teeth
can be traced back to at least 2500 BC,

thanks to the discovery
of ancient Egyptians

who got buried
with their gold teeth thingamajigs.

And around the eighth century AD,
the Mayans put precious stones

right into their enamels.

Ouch!

When we examine the origin
of jeweled-up teeth,

one thing seems to remain constant,
what they might symbolize.

Power, status, and wealth.

When you put on earrings,
or just a chain here or there,

that could be simple adornment.

But grills are a statement
that's kinda in your face.

You know, for the wearer and the onlooker.

I'm not opposed to doing things
to my teeth.

But my question is this.
What's it feel like when you...

My gosh!
Okay. Now, let me see, wait a minute.

-Wait a minute.
-Yeah, that's some...

Holy cats!

How much is this?

Wait a minute.
Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

So how do you make these things?

It is?

You-- really?
I don't know...

-Well, if it... I'm not nervous.
-All right. So, you go...

Now I'm getting nervous, okay.

Okay, okay.

Okay?

Johnny Dang, you're a master!

- That's me.
- See?

I wonder if my wife would like it,
you know?

If I surprised her and I said "sweetheart"
on one of our date nights, and I said...

Dang! What a world!

And, amazing.
Hey, I may have embarked

on a deal to get a grill. Am I nuts?

Wait till I tell my wife.

I wonder if not everyone
is from this corner

of the sensibility,
jewelry sensibility world.

But there must be people who use jewelry,
and jewelry a-plenty,

I'm imagining, for...

other reasons.

Deeper reasons.

Jewelry, it's long been symbolic
in the act of matrimony.

Yes, sweet, sweet matrimony.

And Indian culture takes this
to the next level, I should say.

This is the groom. I had no idea.

- How are you feeling, first of all?
- Excited!

-I bet you are.
-Yeah.

A little nervous.

-Nervous, too?
-Nervous, yeah.

There he goes.
Don't let me pester you anymore.

I'm a privileged guest
at this spectacular wedding.

But I wanna see if there's more
to the wearing of precious jewels

than just showin' off.

Okay. Jeff, Jeff, enough with the posing.
Hey!

Let me see if I can get a gander
at the bride.

Are you decent?

-Is this a bad moment?
-No, it's not.

-Haritha, I'm Jeff.
-Hi! It's so nice to meet you!

Yes.

Did you over... oversleep? What happened?
How are you feeling?

I'm feeling okay. I got two and a half
hours of sleep. But that's okay.

What were you doing? Bachelorette party.

It was, like, the musical event
with dancing and...

-Did you dance?
-...music. Yeah.

-This is the greatest of all days.
-Yeah.

You'll never forget it
as long as you live.

I know. And this is really special
that you're here.

-Me? Why me?
-Yeah!

Because you're Jeff Goldblum!

Your jewelry, what is going on
with your jewelry that...

-Yeah.
-...symbolizes or makes you feel any way?

Well, a lot of this jewelry is, like,
the ancient temple style of jewelry.

With gold, you typically associate
with goddess Lakshmi, goddess of wealth.

The bride is supposed to be adorned
with all these gold and jewelry.

And that's kind of why I have
so many pieces

- on me.
- I see. Tell me about these.

So these are glass bangles.

-Nice.
-They are from the city of Hyderabad

in India, the old city where they sell
a lot of these,

- bangles and...
- Yes.

...they matched it to my outfit.

Anything on your toes or...

-or anklet... anklets?
-I have...

I have anklets on.
I have the one right now.

-It's silver.
-I'm glad I asked.

Yeah, this is silver.

-Silver.
-Yeah.

-Yes.
-Do any of the other accoutrements

have symbolism? Do they mean anything?

This is the more subdued... It gives you

-the very ancient temple feel.
-This is subdued?

- Well, the... the tone... the tone.
- See, the bridal look is even brighter...

Yeah. Well, I think it gives
the really traditional feel

of the entire ceremony
with this kind of jewelry.

-Thank you for letting us intrude.
-You're welcome.

Each and every year,
India hosts over ten million weddings,

and they involve so much gold
that it influences the price

of the global markets.

Indian immigrants
here in the United States

certainly haven't jettisoned
any of that particular custom.

Here she is!
She's a lotus blossom. Radiant.

There they are. There they are!

Here we go! The exchange of malas,
India's version of the floral garland.

Here given as a symbol of purity,
beauty and love. That is so, so sweet.

Having been here today,
I'm reminded of the jewelry

that Emilie and I exchanged
on our wedding day.

A day that I'll never forget.

I had given her an engagement ring
a little bit before that.

A... a cognac diamond,
if you ever heard of such a thing.

And it sort of reminds her, she said,
of my hazel eye,

in cognac-y in, color. She said,

"Feels like you're always looking at me."
And she wants me to look at her.

So it means something to us,
and I guess that's the point.

Them... For these people today,
the bride and groom and everybody here,

jewelry is not just opulent adornment,
superficial adornment,

it means something culturally...

and historically.

It's a lovely thing. It's a lovely thing.

Hey, here's a question.

How can the jewelry that we wear
impact the way that we feel?

Well, it's used to negotiate romance
and it's even obligatory gift-giving,

and, as we know, it's adorned by royalty.

But so much of their worth
comes down to the meaning

that we humans have attributed to them.

For instance,
sapphires are said to be associated

with helping the owner feel at ease
in social situations.

Rubies are believed to increase
the leadership skills of the wearer

and ward off negative energies.

Look at Elizabeth, fresh as a daisy.
She is...

But there's one gem that we imagine
is valuable above all the others.

Look at her go, look at her go.

So, we know that jewels can be
a visual mouthpiece of the richie rich,

but they can also have
an important cultural significance.

Here in Hipsterville, I'm meeting a guy

who I'm told
has a deeply personal connection

to one particular diamond
that he simply adores.

And you may be wondering what...
what this may have to do with doggies,

but, well, you'll see.
You'll... you'll see.

-My darling, may I have a seat with you?
-Very adorable.

-Look. So, what's your whole name?
-My name is Jacob.

Tell me your story.

So, I had an amazing, amazing dog.
Her name was Miss Piggy.

- Her name was what? Miss Piggy?
- Miss Piggy.

-Miss Piggy.
-Miss Piggy.

She had a lot of personality,
and she snorted...

- like a pig.
- Snor... snorted like a pig.

She was my angel for 12 years.

For heaven's sakes, what a doll.

And she was...

-She was just everything to me.
-So sorry.

You know, society doesn't always treat
an animal death

the same as a human death and...

it just really,
really took its toll on me.

But the fact that I still I get to talk
about her...

is incredible and it's a testament to her.

I had already set up to have her cremated,

'cause I wanted to keep her
with me forever.

What... Yeah, what did you imagine
you'd do? Yes. Yes.

-I could not believe this was possible...
-Yeah.

...but I was able to turn her ashes,

a small portion of her ashes,
into a diamond.

Jacob discovered the world
of synthetic diamonds,

where high-pressure heat technology

mimics the geological process
of diamond creation.

So you found out about it,
and then you said, "I wanna work there."

-I said, "I wanna work there."
-But you didn't work for them at the time.

- Not at the time.
- Wait a minute,

so you're holding in your hands now...

-This is her diamond.
-You ever... You know that song...

Diamonds are forever.

- It's absolutely true.
- Right. Right.

So, open it up.

And that is Miss Piggy.

I chose to make her a pink diamond

because her name was Miss Piggy.

Yeah, yeah. Pink, pink...
Right, like a pig.

Had to be pink and she just...
it sparkles just like she did.

And...

Up, up, up, up. Look at that.

- Yes, you're right, it sparkles...
- It came out amazing.

So, how does it work?

-How does... how does it work?
-Yeah.

What do they do? 'Cause I never heard
of this in my life!

We're all carbon-based lifeforms.

- Yes.
- So when we pass,

and there's still carbon in our ashes.

- Yes.
- We got a visitor.

-I like this, wait a minute.
-She wants to see...

-Just a second. Okay.
-Wants to see the box.

We are able to grow a diamond
inside a machine

that replicates the Earth's mantle
with thousands of pounds of pressure

and thousands of degrees of heat.

And it's her carbon inside a growth cell,

and basically, a diamond forms.

There's the conversation about jewelry,
jewels, gems,

and precious gems being valuable.

We know how you must feel,
we got a sense of how you must feel,

and the value that you place on this,
and how precious this is to you.

Do you think this is every bit as much
or more precious...

I mean, for me, it's priceless.

I mean, it's more...
Like, there's not an amount of money

that I could... I would part with this.

So I don't know
that there's too many other jewels,

you know, that we have in our home
that I can say that about.

-Right.
-It's something that's truly unique.

Yeah, you have given meaning to that

out of your own real
and personal experience.

-It's every bit as valid as anything...
-Absolutely.

...says I, and I'll give you
a doctor's note to that effect.

Dogs...

become jewels...

become a source of value and meaning
for sweet Jacob.

The universe, a random place,

but we ascribe and imbue it with meaning.

Gee, I think that's interesting.
And that's what he's done with that...

the value and the meaning
around that little pink diamond.

- Whee!
- There you have it.

Trinkets and baubles
don't need to have any inherent value

in order for us
to have an attachment to them.

But from whence
does our attraction spring?

It all has to do, apparently,

with an association
that's hardwired into our brains.

The theory being
that our primitive ancestors

were first drawn to sparkly things

in the form of sunlight
glinting off liquid...

and that shine led them to their lifeline,
which was,

that's right, water.

Water.

Our Paleolithic forebearers were known
to enhance their cave paintings

with bright mica flakes.

And Neanderthals adorned themselves
in reflective face paint.

And ever since then,
from the wrappers around our candy

to the clothes that we wear

to the jewels that we cram
onto our bodies,

Homo sapiens have been finding ways

to tap into the magnetism
of all that glitters.

We love lustrous and shimmering things
so much

that they can make us feel
something special,

even if they cost almost nothing at all.

Here I am easing on down the road

to a divine spectacle right here
in the Big Easy.

- Welcome!
- Thank you so much.

-Please come on in!
-I have so many questions.

Every Southern Decadence,
I have guests over

and we get ready for the parades.

They put on their outfits,
their makeup.

Right. Whoa! What's this?

We've been visited
by a couple of amazing characters.

Yes, they're two
of the Fabulous Sisters.

Wait a minute. Come in here.

Just wait a minute, let me drink you in.
Look. Look at you.

Look at that. My gosh!
Jewelry, jewelry. Bing, bing, bing.

That's, So, there you go.

Tell me about anything
that sparkles on you.

I say that he who leaves
a trail of glitter...

-is never forgotten.
-That's in one of the wise books,

I believe.

I just think that glitter
turns something ordinary

into extraordinary. I really do.

Hey, that's my theme!
That's part of my theme!

I, like, take the ordinary
and I try to make it extraordinary.

It gives me confidence.

It... it makes me feel
like I can go out and be bold.

And, I just love it.

Southern Decadence, that's the name
of the New Orleans

annual celebration of its LGBT community,

where the city's French Quarter
becomes a bejeweled carnival

of all that shines and sparkles.

Well, there really is something
about jewelry,

or bling, or glitter,
whatever you wanna call it.

We're like magpies, you know?

You show us something bright and...
and shiny,

and we... we just gotta sit up
and take notice. We can't help ourselves.

Imagine a lustrous suit of armor...

that makes you feel invincible.

There are a whole lot of folks
who associate shine with value.

And that's empowering.

So jewelry isn't necessarily
about showin' off

how much we can afford to spend,

but rather helping the world...

to see us for who we really are.

And that's something upon which...

we cannot put a price.

And just to complete
what we hope is a very fulfilling arc

to my character's journey.
Remember the grill?

Yeah. Yeah...

Dang. Dang.