Get to Know Amanda Campbell of Slight Jewelry

Jewelry designer Amanda Campbell of Slight Jewelry makes gold pieces with a science fiction–meets–Art Deco style.

Company principal: Amanda Campbell

Headquarters: New York City

Date firm launched: June 2013

Signature style: “My style is eclectic. My jewelry is largely influenced by the Art Deco era and science fiction, as is evident in motifs like zombies and teeth, the use of black and gray diamonds, and working with rose gold and black rhodium. I try to keep pieces chic and refined with a lot of details like hand-carved faces and sunken-in eyes, with a rough texture that comes from 3-D printing—every little thing you do comes out in that print, and has a roughness to it.”

Training, education, and design process: “I have been designing jewelry for a little under a year, although I have been sketching ideas for years. I have a background in fashion marketing—I have an undergraduate degree in marketing and media arts from the University of Arizona—and have always wanted to be an accessories designer.

“After working for jewelry designer Catherine Angiel when I first moved to New York City, I realized that there was nothing out there that had my sci-fi point of view. (I was always little into sci-fi: I love reading Stephen King books, being inspired by the works of surrealist H.R. Giger, and my boyfriend is into zombies.) So I decided to create fine jewelry that I wanted to wear, stuff that was slightly different—where the name comes from—from what others do. Even my logo is different: It’s the word slight in braille, and braille is on my packaging, giving it a really cool texture and feel versus just saying something.

“My design process is that I sketch the jewelry first on paper, then render it in Illustrator (I am actually a bit of a computer nerd), use Rhino for designing, and make many of my pieces in a 3-D print program myself, then carving out details with my Dremel. I have the casting done outside of my studio. I’ve also taken basic silver-smithing classes at 3rd Ward in Brooklyn, and plan to take GIA classes.

“My pieces are cast and fabricated, depending on the piece, and are made in the U.S. I am a bit OCD in my work, so I don’t put a piece of jewelry out there that does not exude quality! When I make samples, I test them for durability and longevity; it is important for me to have a name that signifies quality craftsmanship in fine jewelry. I’ve learned a lot about what’s important, though, through scouring this city: I have a stone setter who is amazing, and I pay a little extra for that, but it’s worth it.”

Materials of choice: “I work in sterling silver, 14k white, yellow, and rose gold, and platinum. Occasionally I will make heavier pieces in 24k-plated brass. I love diamonds, rubies, and pearls, and I work with moonstones as well other unique stones like meteorite slices. To me, it’s about using stones that are the best quality and are immaculate; I have spent a lot of time finding the best diamond and pearl resources in the country.”

Jewelry trade show exhibits: None to date

Accounts: “I currently sell retail online at slightjewelry.com and will be on radinnyc.com when it’s live in November. I am open to wholesale accounts.”

Starting retail price: “My starting price for sterling silver is $70, for 14k gold is $120, and for platinum is $320.”

Retailer buy-in: “The minimum buy-in is $1,000.”

Tower Spike earring in 14k rose gold by Slight Jewelry

Tower Spike earring in 14k rose gold, $240 for one stud ($100 in sterling)

Zombie bracelet in silver and 24k gold plate from Slight Jewelry

Four-Head Zombie bangle bracelet in sterling silver and 24k gold-plated brass, $400

Hand-hammered band in 14k rose gold with gray diamonds by Slight Jewelry

Band in hand-hammered 14k rose gold with 0.18 ct. t.w. burnish-set gray diamonds, $1,200

Teeth ring in sterling with a Tahitian pearl by Slight Jewelry

Teeth-motif (inspired by the monster in the David Lynch–directed Dune) ring in sterling silver with black rhodium plating and a 13 mm baroque Tahitian pearl, $1,700 ($3,400 in 14k gold)

Eye ring in silver with black rhodium and black diamonds by Slight Jewelry

Large Carved Eye ring in sterling silver with black rhodium and a 1.7 ct. inverted black diamond and 0.3 ct. t.w. black melee, $3,000 ($4,400 in 14k gold)

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