Bling!

Lil Baby needs to bend his ear for a minute ... celeb jeweler Ben Baller's offering sound advice on how the rapper can avoid another fake Patek Philippe watch fiasco.

We got Ben out in WeHo Tuesday morning to get his take on the "Drip Too Hard" rapper dropping $400,000 for one of the most luxurious watches in the world ... only to find out it was a total fake.

Ben -- who has done sick bling work for the likes of Elon Musk, Kid Cudi and A$AP Rocky, to name just a few -- says it all comes down to building relationships. How, specifically?

The celeb jeweler tells us Lil Baby's best bet is to hit up Patek Philippe authorized dealers on and buy small, establish yourself as a loyal client and build your way up.

For the uninitiated ... Lil Baby was hyped about copping the 40th-anniversary Nautilus Patek Philippe watch. Problem was ... after posting a pic on Instagram ahead of his arrival at the Met Gala, watch aficionados realized -- and alerted Lil Baby -- his watch was a fake.

The rapper was furious ... to the point he publicly called out the jeweler who sold him the watch, Rafaello & Co. The jeweler has since admitted it sold the rapper a fake by mistake.

The company also issued a public apology, gave Lil Baby a full refund and gifted him 4 diamond rings "as a token of our sincere apologies."

That's cool and all ... but Ben Baller's other big advice for Lil Baby -- never, EVER buy a Patek Philippe from a jeweler. The watch game right now is so insane ... there's only one place you'd wanna go to spend this kind of money for a luxurious watch.

Karl-Anthony Towns made sure his girlfriend, Jordyn Woods, felt EXTRA special for her 24th birthday -- showering her with crazy gifts ... including a Patek watch, a Birkin bag and a Bottega coat!!

The Minnesota Timberwolves center surprised Woods with the presents during a celebration at The Nice Guy in Los Angeles on Saturday ... giving her the expensive pieces throughout the evening.

Woods' baby sister, Jodie, captured the initial present opening on video -- showing Woods first receiving a shiny box that contained a diamond Patek watch, which can run for well over $100k.

KAT later gifted her a royal blue Birkin bag -- which, again, can run into the six figures -- before capping off the night by handing her a new, green Bottega Veneta coat.

Woods was thrilled with all of the new drip, thanking KAT repeatedly during the night ... and later writing on her social media page, "I was too drunk to process this last night. WTF [Karl-Anthony], this is crazy!"

The most wild part of the gift-giving ... Saturday wasn't even Jordyn's real birthday -- it's actually Sept. 23!

Makes ya wonder ... does KAT have even more planned for her ACTUAL birthday?!

Amari Cooper is one of the best route runners in the NFL ... and now the Dallas Cowboys star has a chain to prove it, copping an incredible diamond piece worth $300k!!!

The 27-year-old wideout recently created a new Instagram page that focuses on his fascinating route running ability ... called, you guessed it, "The Route Runner."

To celebrate the launch, AC hit up Gabriel The Jeweler -- go-to guy for some of the biggest sports stars in the world -- for a truly incredible chain.

We're told the pendant has 170 carats of VVS diamonds ... and the chain is just one of four Gabriel's ever done!

Put that all together, and the piece is valued at around $300k!!!

But, don't worry, Cooper is doing pretty well financially -- he is in the middle of a 5-year, $100 million deal.

As we previously reported, Cooper's gone to Gabriel in the past ... including an epic Cowboys jersey chain, as well as a piece repping his hometown!!!

Britney Spears' fiance, Sam Asghari, finally hit the jackpot, but so did Brit ... so says his famous ex.

We got Sam's ex, Mayra Veronica, out in L.A. Friday and she had nothing but good things to say about him. She scoffed at social media haters who said Sam's in it for the money, saying he's a sincere, sweet guy. Not a bad review from an ex.

It's interesting she used the word "jackpot," but she clearly didn't mean $$$, and she also made it clear it goes both ways. Again, that's a raving review considering they broke up.

Now Mayra did throw some shade. Listen to what she says when our photog asked about the ring. Clearly not her style.

Mayra says she can relate to Britney, because when she dated Sam back in 2015 her management team was extremely controlling, warning her about Sam. She clearly didn't buy what they were selling, and is solidly in Sam's corner.

Mayra seems to think Sam's a stabilizing influence in Britney's life, given what she's been through.

Playboi Carti has no problem flossin' his chains but the rapper's got problems paying for his shiny ice in full ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

Eliantte & Co. filed legal docs in New York claiming the "Magnolia" rapper owes $97,063.75, which the company says is the balance for 2 custom chains the rapper ordered back in September 2020.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Eliantte, who has done jaw-dropping work for the likes of Swizz Beatz and many other celeb clients, says he quickly went to work on a 14-carat white gold diamond rosary chain and a custom diamond tennis chain.

The jeweler says PC was billed $197,063.75 for the pieces. Eliantte claims the rapper made a $100k payment on January 25, but then failed to pay off the rest of the balance despite repeated demands.

So now, Eliantte is suing to get what he's owed.

Kid Cudi boldly went where no man has gone before at the 2021 Met Gala ... with damn near a couple million in bling hanging from his neck!!!

The "Man On the Moon" artist was decked out in a vibrant Louis Vitton getup for the event, but the centerpiece of the look was his not-so-little man on the moon ... an opulent, one-of-a-kind piece designed by Ben Baller and KAWS.

We're told the chain and pendant -- museum quality diamond work titled "SPACE" -- is a whopping $1,600,000 piece ... featuring more than 24,000 clarity E color diamonds, and more than a kilo in 18k rose gold.

The celeb jeweler says, "This is the most detailed and intricate piece of jewelry I’ve ever created in my entire career," adding that he had to shut down his entire factory for 3 months to focus on completing it.

The piece is a miniature take on Kaws' famous "Holiday Space" astronaut figure, and Baller says the pendant's backpack has a secret compartment where Cudi can keep weed -- or other small stuff -- in it.

Britney Spears won't be walking down the aisle anytime soon -- but in the meantime, her giant diamond ring is all the rage for others looking to say "I do."

A rep for Forever Diamonds NY -- where Brit's fiance, Sam Asghari, had this puppy commissioned -- tells TMZ ... they received 500 inquiries Sunday following news of the proposal, with 95% of those inquiries being from people looking to purchase a version of the "Britney Ring."

You'll recall ... Forever Diamonds NY said they'd be naming this ring setting after the pop star herself, commemorating the thought they say Sam put in while making the purchase.

Despite everyone clamoring for a Britney ring of their own ... Forever Diamonds says no one will get the exact one she's got on her finger right now -- because that one was specially made for her, and they won't replicate it precisely.

That said, the jeweler tells us they're considering a version of the ring on display at a store they're opening soon -- so customers can see it up close. The fanfare makes sense ... Sam himself just spilled the beans on how unique it actually is, and what he had to do to keep it under wraps for so long.

As for the nuptials... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... BS and SA are in no rush to get hitched. We're told they're going to take their time and enjoy the engagement, and they're not even throwing around the word "wedding" among friends.

Britney Spears' boyfriend had fans hoping they finally got engaged ... because he posted and deleted a pic of a ring ... but now he says things are not the way they appear.

Here's the deal ... Britney fans went nuts Friday when her BF, Sam Asghari, posted a picture of a ring on his Instagram story. Eagle-eyed fans pointed out the ring had an inscription reading, "Lioness."

But, Sam is pouring cold water on the speculation he popped the question after more than 4 years of dating ... he says his IG account got hacked and the ring pic was photoshopped.

TMZ broke the story ... Sam went shopping for jewelry earlier this month at Cartier in Beverly Hills, and appeared to be checking out a diamond ring.

Lots of folks took Sam's shopping trip as a signal he and Britney were heading toward an engagement ... because she made it clear back in June at her court hearing she had marriage on the mind.

For now, it seems like people are putting the Cartier before the horse.

Big Ed's had to go through some tumultuous times on reality TV to get there, but it looks like it's all worth it -- he's engaged to his girlfriend, Liz.

The former "90 Day Fiance" star and his GF were out at a nightclub last week in Santa Barbara, CA ... and Liz was flaunting a big rock on her wedding ring finger.

We're told they confirmed with folks there that they were getting married, and Big Ed was introducing Liz to people as his "beautiful fiancee."

If you aren't familiar ... Ed and Rose were the surprise breakout couple of '90 Day Fiance' in early 2020, but his controversial treatment of her ended with a breakup and an eventual apology from him.

Then, Big Ed met Liz and the 2 were featured on "90 Day: The Single Life" ... but their volatile relationship also ended with a split. They've clearly reconciled since then though ... and are getting hitched.

Lil Uzi Vert says the large pink diamond he had implanted in his forehead got dislodged when he jumped into the crowd at Rolling Loud, but thankfully ... fiasco aVERTed.

The rapper says he had a $24 MILLION rock embedded as a flashy facial implant, claiming he saved up for years for the pink gemstone and wanted it put in his forehead because he was afraid he'd otherwise lose it.

According to Lil Uzi, the implant wasn't foolproof when he did a stage dive at the Miami hip hop festival ... and his fans ripped it right out of his forehead.

The good news ... he didn't suffer any serious facial damage and has a barbell piercing in its place ... and yes, he still has the diamond.

Uzi sent an ominous message about the implant back in February, posting a photo of blood seeping around the diamond and claiming he might die if it wasn't properly removed.

He actually had it removed this summer, but had it re-implanted for Rolling Loud.

New York Giants pass rusher Azeez Ojulari is starting off his rookie season in a Wakanda-kinda way ... by coppin' an insane "Black Panther" diamond chain -- that glows in the dark!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the outsider linebacker wanted to pay homage to Chadwick Boseman with some new drip before the Giants' season-opener ... so he hit up celeb jeweler Leo Frost.

And, Frost definitely delivered ... 'cause while the ice ain't exactly Vibranium, it's damn near close ... featuring 50 carats of white and black VS1 diamonds with 220 grams of 18k white gold!

The replica of Boseman's famous mask also comes with an insane white gold Cuban prong set -- with VS diamonds!!!

We're told Leo also amped up the bling by adding a special, glow-in-the-dark enamel coating ... which if you check out the video, is WILD!!

Unclear what the drip ultimately cost the former Georgia Bulldog ... but the 2nd-round pick just signed a 4-year rookie deal for $6.7 million, so his wallet's going to be just fine.

Britney Spears says she wants to get married, and here's a sign it might actually happen ... her boyfriend is shopping for jewelry and looking at rings!!!

Britney's boyfriend of over 4 years, Sam Asghari, went ring shopping Thursday ... hitting up Cartier in Bev Hills. As you can see, something caught Sam's eye in the jewelry case and he snapped a pic of it with his phone.

Eventually, the saleswoman brought out what appeared to be a diamond ring so Sam could get a better look.

Sam's ring shopping is pretty interesting ... you'll remember Britney made it clear last June in court ... she had marriage on her mind. Spears claimed a big motivator in getting out of the conservatorship was to be able to get married and have children ... both things she claimed she was blocked from doing under her dad's control.

As we first told you ... Britney and Sam have talked about getting engaged but he's never formalized it with a proposal.

But, now it at least looks like Sam could be seriously considering popping the question.

Ed Oliver was just saved from a VERY expensive catastrophe ... 'cause the NFL defensive lineman's chain fell off while swimming in Lake Erie over the weekend -- but, thankfully, a diver came through in the clutch and found it!!!

Oliver's neighbors shared the awesome story this week ... explaining they had been out boating Saturday when Oliver's ice accidentally fell to the bottom of the body of water.

"It popped right off his neck," Oliver's neighbors said.

Fortunately for Ed -- a 1st-round pick in 2019 -- his neighbors were able to get pro divers out to look for it ... and they got it back!

The folks at Discover Diving WNY were able to search the floor to recover it ... and 23-year-old Oliver was over the moon about it -- posing for a happy pic afterward!

The funniest part of it all?!? The diver who found the chain had to try it on for a sec ... snapping a pic in the water shortly after coming back up to the surface.

No word on how much the piece cost, but Oliver is making $4.8 million a year ... so odds are pretty good it wasn't cheap!

Usain Bolt isn't mincing words, flat-out telling TMZ Sports that Tyreek Hill can NOT beat him in a race ... and he's fully willing to prove it on the track!!

And, he'll even risk one of his 8 Olympic gold medals.

We spoke to the 35-year-old track legend -- the fastest man EVER -- about his (good-natured) beef with the 27-year-old KC Chiefs superstar ... and straight-up asked Bolt how the race would go.

"For me I still think I would get him in 40 [yard dash]" ... adding, just to be safe, he'd like the race to be a bit longer -- something like 70 yards.

Somewhat surprisingly, Usain -- who retired in 2017 -- says he'd have to ramp up his training before racing Hill.

"I definitely gotta train. He's been working out. I work out too, but I would have to step up my training."

Bolt added ... "Remember, I retired for a while, so I still gotta get my legs going again, know what I mean? I still got speed, but I gotta get it going."

FYI, Hill -- aka Cheetah -- is considered by many to be the fastest player in the NFL.

In fact, Tyreek reportedly ran a 4.29 in the 40-yard dash at his Pro Day ... and has allegedly clocked a super-impressive 10.19 in the 100m.

With that said ... Bolt holds the world record in the 100m -- having run a blazing fast 9.58 seconds in 2009.

As for having some skin in the game ... Usain says he doesn't believe Hill would have the you-know-whats to put his Super Bowl LIV ring on the line.

Beyonce's mom is out for blood against those who've turned her daughter's Tiffany campaign into a controversy about blood diamonds.

Tina Knowles went off on Instagram on all the "socially conscious activist[s]" who've called out Bey for wearing the famous 128.54-carat Tiffany Diamond ... which is from a colonial mine in Kimberley, South Africa.

If you haven't heard, Beyonce's just the 4th woman to wear the iconic diamond -- and the first Black woman -- as part of Tiffany & Co.'s new "About Love" campaign ... which also features her husband, Jay-Z.

It seems Bey didn't know the jewel was a blood diamond ... so the question -- was Beyonce tricked by Tiffany and Co. into wearing it in the ad? There are reports Beyonce is pissed she didn't get a heads up.

A lot of folks don't care about that though, and have called her out for flaunting it ... but Mama Tina's not having it.

Knowles directed a comment on Instagram toward these critics, asking how many of them own diamonds, and if they do ... "did you go to try to check to see where the diamond came from?"

Her point is ... every person who has an engagement ring or owns diamonds probably does not research their origin, so all the "righteous" bashing of her daughter is hypocritical.

It's a fair point ... but likely not one that will shut everybody up on Twitter.

Speaking of, several Twitter folks have also rushed to Beyonce's defense ... pointing out that there was no such backlash when Lady Gaga wore the Tiffany Diamond at the Oscars in 2019.

Chinese Olympics gold medalist Zhu Xueying's new hardware is already losing some shine ... 'cause the trampoline gymnast says it's PEELING!!!

The 23-year-old athlete went to social media to show off the alleged damage this week ... asking fellow Olympians if they had experienced anything similar with their medals.

"#olympic-medal Was your medal ... peeling off like this?" she asked on Weibo.

Zhu says she initially thought the mark was just dirt, but the spot grew bigger and bigger.

FYI -- the medals aren't solid gold ... they're actually made from mostly silver and, for the 2020 Games, reused metals donated by the public ... and coated least 6 grams of pure gold.

The Olympic committee ended up sending a response to Zhu ... saying the peeling is actually a protective coating and claiming the medal is perfectly fine.

But, if something were to ever happen to a medal, the committee keeps a mold and can always crank out some new ones ... for a fee.