GUILDERLAND — A new jewelry store selling Cuban link chains, Rolex watches, grillz and other accessories popularized in hip-hop culture has opened at Crossgates Mall.

Express Jewelers, which has stores in Niagara Falls and Syracuse, opened its third location at the Capital Region’s largest mall last week. In an interview, co-owner Ferhat Ozkan, 32, said his company had been seeking a location at Crossgates Mall for years.

“It’s a busy mall,” said Ozkan, who runs the stores with two cousins, Furkan Ozleyen, 26, and Fuad Boz, 33.

The jewelry store sells custom accessories like rings, bracelets and necklaces, which it can create based on customer-provided pictures. Along with watches from the popular brands Citizen and Rolex, the store also offers luxury Cartier sunglasses. 

Ozkan said pendants featuring Christian symbols, including crosses and depictions of Jesus, have been popular in all store locations. A display case at its Crossgates Mall location features other religious pendants like the Star of David and a Buddha.

A banner outside the store advertises affordable engagement natural diamond rings and wedding bands, while another promotes installment payment options for customers. Ozkan said the store offers lower prices compared to competitors, pointing to Cuban chain links usually priced at $1,000, which he says his store sells for about half that amount.

“Something that costs $1,000 somewhere, we could do it for $500 to $600,” Ozkan said. “We have almost about half prices of other jewelry stores with the same exact item.”

On Friday, the mall and Guilderland Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the store’s opening, located across from the food court. During the event, Ozkan announced that his store is hiring.

“We need someone who speaks Spanish right now,” Ozkan said after the event.

Express Jewelers’ Syracuse store is located in a shopping complex owned by Pyramid Management Group, the same company that owns Crossgates Mall. Crossgates spokesperson Jen Smith said her company has “a great history and relationship” with the store.

Smith said a few other shops at Crossgates Mall offer custom grillz, but added that the jeweled covers worn over teeth are becoming more popular.

“We’re very diverse in the Capital Region and it’s something that people are looking for,” Smith said.