A crowd three people deep surrounds the kiosk for Yuro Design in the jewelry exchange at Downtown Crossing. The bodies press against one another, jockeying for views of two display cases. Of particular interest are the four rows of teeth-shaped jewelry, some made of white or yellow gold, some sprinkled with diamonds, some sporting fangs. The teeth caps are alternately called grills, fronts, shines, plates, or caps, and these glittering decorative pieces are the latest hip-hop culture trend making its way into the mainstream.

Black, white, Asian, or Latino -- if you're young and urban, grills are the piece of jewelry to lust after. Once popular only in the Midwest and the South, the jewelry is now turning heads in other regions. Young girls clamor for the look in San Francisco, and teens are flaunting grills in Toronto. Grills are now so common, you can buy them on the Internet at goldteethny.com or gangstagold.com.

Read more about diamond grills at http://www.boston.com.