Gas! Gas! Gas!: Samantha Levine
The founder & creative director of Auburn Jewelry on the brand's explosive growth and what it takes to make jewelry for a living.
Samantha Levine Sultanik rejected the shiny paychecks of lawyer life to build a line of custom enamel charm jewelry out of her parent’s house. “Impractical” was a word she heard often… until business started booming.
Eleven years later, Auburn Jewelry is a shining star within the tristate area thanks to its line of permanent (aka clasp-less) bracelets, necklaces, and rings that Sam and her team weld onto clients. Here, the entrepreneur explains how she grew her metalsmithing skills into an award-winning operation that every local retailer and event planner is clamoring to book—and why she takes “hustling” to a whole new level.
How did you get started in the jewelry business and launch Auburn?
I've been metalsmithing since I was 14. I grew up in Chappaqua, New York, and our high school had a metals program. I did it almost every semester and became a teacher’s assistant by the end and started a jewelry club. At the same time, I was in mock trial and was president by my senior year.
At Skidmore College, I was an American Studies major with an art minor in Jewelry and Metals. When I was trying to figure out what to do afterward, I was talking to my advisor, who was in American studies, and she told me to go pursue jewelry. My jewelry professor said, “Sam, you can always make jewelry with a law degree, but you can't practice law with a jewelry degree.” That sounded like really good advice—of course, excluding the amount of loans law school would accrue. So, I applied to law school in Massachusetts, got in, and continued taking jewelry classes a little outside of Boston.
But, trying to balance everything wasn’t working great. So, I asked my parents for a Hanukkah gift of putting a jewelry studio in our house so I could make things when I was home. They said yes, not realizing there would be a blowtorch and a lot of late-night hammering. I was making things and showing people at school because I was excited about it, and orders started coming in. When I graduated, I gave up the corporate immigration job I had lined up and launched Auburn Jewelry in 2013.
For the first three or four years, I hand-made every single piece—I had a whole line of enamel and sterling silver pieces, as well as initial charms, that I would customize. We have a whole production line now. They're on Macy's website and sold on Modern Tribe.
I met Brandon [my husband] eight years ago. He helped me with the process of going into production, testing out different places and visiting factories (everything’s made in the U.S., which is very important to me). We finally found who we wanted to work with, got everything up and running, and doubled our sales in the first year. It was amazing.
How did your permanent jewelry line start?
A little over two years ago, we started making permanent jewelry. I was introduced to the concept when a company doing it in Mississippi reached out after finding us on Instagram. They ordered 50 of these handwritten hearts to put in their permanent jewelry, which I would hand-cut like my other pieces.
Then, I got a call one day from a store in New York that carries our stuff. The owner was like, “Sam, no one's doing permanent jewelry around here; you have to do it!”
Honestly, I thought it was a little gimmicky at first. I wasn’t sure if it was the route I wanted to take. [Levine now wears a dozen bracelets, three rings, two anklets, two necklaces, and a hand chain from her permanent line.] I called my friend in Mississippi, and she said, “Yes, do it.”
I bought a welding machine, which I had actually wanted for years. My professor at Skidmore used to say that it has the heat of the sun in a pinpoint spark. It's very cool, and you can do a lot with it, but it was a big investment for a small business.
“Who wouldn't want their mom's handwriting made into a permanent bracelet?”
I bought a bunch of chains to play around with and sat at the kitchen table, putting bracelets on my husband and friends. It was easy and so fun.
My best friend owns a dog grooming store, Wipe Your Paws, in Mount Kisco, New York. She was like, “Come do a private event for us. You can advertise it.” So, I did our first pop-up there and offered 50% off to everyone. Afterward, I got in the car, called Brandon, and said, “This is going to be something special. It makes people so happy.”
Plus, I could use my talent for custom-making things to incorporate into the jewelry. Who wouldn't want their mom's handwriting made into a permanent bracelet?
Do you find people are scared by the term “permanent”?
Yes, but it’s just the name of the trend. Really, it's clasp-less jewelry. If you decide you want it off, you can clip it yourself, and we can always put it back on for you or add a clasp.
Originally, you were doing Auburn’s permanent jewelry out of your own home, right?
Yes, we were doing it in the house up until June of this year. But now, we have four locations. We're partnering with existing stores to host Auburn jewelry locations inside.
We opened our first location in White Plains at Hair Hause, a woman-owned salon. Then, we opened another location in Bedford Hills inside a store called The Sheperd & Co., also woman-owned. (I love working with other women who are creative!) More recently, we opened in Hopewell Junction, NY, at Hudson Square.
We still do pop-ups—about 30 to 40 events a month. A lot happens on the weekends. Some days, I’m doing three events myself, but we do have other welders working.
Amazing. The idea of the pop-up, how did that come to be?
We were already doing pop-ups with our first jewelry line. When we added the permanent line, it just blew up because I reached out to all of our existing connections and said, “Hey, we added this. Are you interested in having us in?” Everyone was.
Now, I don’t have to do as much outreach. Our calendar fills up very nicely and quickly with people reaching out to us, which is fantastic.
“I try not to sell anything that I personally wouldn't wear.”
What has been your highest-grossing event?
We did 156 bracelets at a Sweet 16 birthday party. That was a bulk rate and so fun—it felt like a wedding (I got married during COVID, so I had 22 people at my wedding) and was a crazy party.
We also made over 100 bracelets for a Bat Mitzvah in April. We have two Bat Mitzvahs coming up on the same day, and I'll be working both.
Wow. And each application takes what, five minutes?
I like to say I could do a bracelet in a minute and 30 seconds without anyone feeling rushed. At the Bat Mitzvah, I did 32 or so bracelets in the first hour.
It’s important to know that math. For example, if we have three hours and three welders, and everyone can do approximately 20 bracelets an hour, we can accommodate 180 people.
You're also growing your collection of chains and charms. How are you staying on top of those trends?
I listen to the customers. And, I try not to sell anything that I personally wouldn't wear. At this point, we have about three dozen chain options in sterling silver, 14-karat gold, and solid gold. We also have a handful of connectors.
We try to Auburn-ize our permanent jewelry offerings by doing little enamel dots because that's what our whole line is: all enamel and hand-painted. In the U.S., our evil eye is done by hand, so they all look different and have personalities. For October, we had hot pink ones that donated to breast cancer research.
We have diamonds in multiple sizes, pavé hearts set in white gold, pavé five-point stars, Jewish stars, crosses… and then I just recently announced that we have birthstones that are exclusive to Hair Hause, and those are all real stones set in 14-karat gold.
We use a mix of lab and natural stones. Lab-grown diamonds are the new cool thing at an accessible price point. They’re better for the environment, and no one's mining them, so I’m a fan.
For the chains, I’ve been using the same supplier since I was 14. I know that the quality is the top that you can get. You can really see that in how they wear: They look fantastic and they last.
What would you say is the most popular style?
Right now, we're doing a ton of diamond rings (some bigger brands sell a similar diamond ring for $1,200, but I won’t say who…). Every time we come out with something new, usually it's our bestseller, so I think the birthstones are going to be huge.
When you look back, especially at this past year, how do you feel when you hover up and just think about your business and how much it's grown?
I'm very proud of what we've done in the last two years. I believe we've done close to or over 10,000 bracelets. It's pretty amazing. And crazy. We've been a part of some very cool events: We did a Fashion Week event in the city with content creators. And, we do bridal suites the morning of the wedding, which is one of my favorite things because you're part of someone's big day, which is such a fun experience, and everyone has a good time.
I consider myself an introvert, so I really like meeting people one-on-one or in smaller groups. It’s perfect for me, to be honest, because I get to meet many people, make them happy, and get to know our customers. My husband helps at a lot of the events, and he’s said multiple times, “I've never seen so many strangers hug someone they just met, but people will leave their appointment and say, ‘Can I hug you?’”
“It's cool to be able to work with people that you love. I got to choose my own team.”
I've met friends this way. A lot of the ladies who work for us started as customers and really loved the experience. One of our welders first came in with her mom a year and a half ago, and I said, “Where are you working? Do you need a job?” She was like, “I would love a job here.” She started out in the studio, then at events, and now she works at Hair Hause. She's fantastic.
Our first welder that we hired and trained is my neighbor. We were walking together at the end of COVID. I told her that we were starting this and that I was going to need some help. She’s been welding for us for two years now.
It's cool to be able to work with people that you love. I got to choose my own team.
When you’re making someone’s bracelet over the welder, it seems like an opportunity for people to get real and tell you things like you're a therapist. Do they reveal any secrets?
Yes, I had someone tell me they were pregnant. She sat down and said, “I'm not supposed to tell anyone yet because it just happened, but I'm pregnant. Please leave me a little extra room in my bracelet.”
What has been the hardest part of owning a business, growing it, or managing a staff?
I was just training someone at Hudson Square. and she said, “Sam, it's so nice you get to work with your husband because if you didn't, you would never see him.”
I'm exceptionally lucky that Brandon and I work together right now because I think the hardest part is that I have no life. I joined a women's group recently, and they're doing all these great events, but I can't go to any of them because they're on the weekends. I feel like a jerk. I don't get to see my family, really. I don't get to see Brandon's family.
We went on vacation to Lake Como and Switzerland in August, and everybody was like, “Oh my god, you're going to have the best time.” I was like, “Yeah, I think I'd rather be working.”
I’m obsessed with what I do and growing this business. I love it more than anything. But, it's hard, and I have no balance. I'm the first one to admit that. But, I feel like I can't balance right now, and I don't want to.
It seems like you're approaching a crossroads. How are you future-proofing Auburn so you can regain a personal life and still have trust that the business will continue to grow?
Opening the locations has been pivotal, because we did get to go away this summer. It's good for me to see that I can take a step back, even for a week. Money was still coming in; things didn't crumble. It was nice to see that if things keep going the way they are, I could go away for a little bit or take a day off.
Do you have an ultimate goal or vision from here? An Auburn Jewelry pie-in-the-sky dream, or have you already achieved it?
I feel like we're almost there. More locations are where we are trying to head, plus more exclusive events.
We're also trying to up our game with our offerings: More diamonds, more gold. We want to appeal to everyone. Our price point ranges from $75 to however many dollars you want to spend. The high-end has been selling well, and people like it.
“I was always told this job was not practical. But look, I’m now paying back my law school loans with jewelry money. So, there you go.”
Pie in the sky? A huge store comes to us and says, “We want to put Auburn Jewelry in all our locations.” There are some stores on my radar right now that we already pop up with that I'm going to try to approach.
What are your best tips or advice for someone who would want to follow in your career footsteps?
I do see a lot of people buying a welder and thinking they can do this right away. I've had customers come to me who went to other places and got hurt or burned, or their bracelets were sized wrong. So, I think first and foremost, you need to go get educated. Make sure you know what you're putting on people.
An online class might not do it. Go to the 92nd Street Y in New York City, or Google jewelry classes in your area. Our local community college used to do classes and I know there are some others around. That’s where I would start: Education.
From a female entrepreneur's perspective, what advice do you have for anyone who's starting a small business?
Get all your ducks in a row and all your shit together first. Have a filing system and a business plan. Don't wing it.
When I started, I was 24 or 25. I didn't know what I was doing. I had graduated from law school, but I was still a kid. I wish I had been more organized right from the very beginning.
So, yeah, incorporate. Make sure you're doing things legally. Don't take shortcuts.
I'm lucky that I have Brandon, who has his MBA. He does a lot of the math, so yeah, just know that you definitely can't do it all.
Any final advice or things you hope our readers know about you, your business, or your journey?
I'm really passionate about our customer service, so I answer all the DMs, which is a job on its own. If you don't see what you want in the offerings or something breaks, DM us, and I’ll get back to you. We’re not the ones putting something on you and planning to never see you again, so we’ll also fix pieces that we did not make.
I was always told this job was not practical. But look, I’m now paying back my law school loans with jewelry money. So, there you go. It is practical. You can do what you love and do it well—you don't always need to do the practical thing. You can follow your dream if you have a good idea and can execute it well.
Love this article so much! Sam is one of the hardest working and kindest people I have ever met. Wishing her continued success!