Jewelry

Connecting to the Past Lance Campbell

In August and September 2020, wildfires raged in Northern California. Jeweler Lance Campbell could look out behind his home in Sonoma County and see the orange haze. "During the day, the smoke was so thick you couldn't see the sun," he says. "And at night, the moon shone like a bright copper penny. At that time, the blazes seemed unlikely to reach his patch of heaven. Yet far up in the night sky, they changed the color of the distant moon.”

When Lance talks about color, he speaks precisely which is not surprising since he's been a jeweler for 50 years. A Native American of Cherokee descent, he grew up with the teachings of Plains tribes. These included the Arapahoe people for whom he was a ceremonial Sundancer. Early in his career, he trained as a silversmith mastering Hopi, Zuni, and Navajo jewelry and learning to cut stones for setting and slices for inlay.

By this time, he had settled in California and worked at the Adobe Trading Post, where he stayed for more than 20 years. During his tenure, he taught himself goldsmithing using Metal Techniques for Craftsmen by Oppi Untracht. "Not everybody can learn that way," he says, “but it came naturally for me.” The quality of his work was such that the Adobe Trading Post evolved into a fine jewelry store. He left to work in San Francisco with David Clay, a master goldsmith known for his custom designs. Lance worked there many years until David Clay retired.

Today, he has found a uniquely suitable place to practice his craft: Lang Antique & Estate Jewelry in San Francisco. Lang has a strong reputation locally, nationally, and internationally for their outstanding Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Victorian, and unique jewelry by lesser- and well-known designers. Co-owner Suzanne Martinez learned about Lance's skills from her friend David Clay and is thrilled to have him. "We buy extraordinary pieces that we sell to a discerning clientele," she says. "And only a master can work on them. We've been so fortunate to find Lance. He has a rare depth of knowledge and skill that he brings to all his work. He's a perfectionist, and that's what we need."