Heavy Metals NYC is a Brooklyn-based accessories brand handcrafted by local sculptor/metalsmith, Shanel Odum. Her beautifully badass jewelry line is an eclectic range of fashion-forward, avant-garde, luxe designs that scream, “I’m with the band!”
The overall design aesthetic is a mosh pit of AfroPunk, urban architecture, feminine strength, masculine polish, high art, and pop culture. The playful collection features pierced nipple necklaces, hand-forged sterling silver swords, knock-out knuckle dusters, and a sumptuous set of Wolverine claws. It also boasts prideful pieces like the “Blk AF” ID bracelet, Afro pick pendants, Wakanda Salute necklace, and a Black Panther Claw midi-ring set.
Heavy Metals is unisex fashion that appeals to the complete glam gambit and tends to attract eccentric rebels with a wicked sense of humor. Whether you’re rocking a single statement piece or excessively accessorized, you’re sure to feel armored in this empowering brand. Heavy Metals celebrates both hefty hardware and the rockstar lifestyle.
Shanel Odum, Founder/Designer
Obsessed.
I’m so jewelry-obsessed, I tend to accessorize my ornaments with clothes instead of the other way around. Without a fistful of rings, lavishly laced lobes and a couple of cuffed wrists, I feel positively naked. Until a few years ago, I simply considered myself an enthusiast. Now, I’m proud to call myself an artist. I crossed the line from consumer to creator out of a basic desire to stand out in NYC’s eclectic, fashion-forward, cool-centric crowds. I quickly realized if I wanted to be the only one at the party rocking a sick spiked ear cuff, I’d have to make it myself. So I did.
My jewelry line eschews formality, with a wink. Each piece defies preconceptions – of gender, of genre –and though edgy, has its sharpness tempered by cheek and burnished by craftswomanship.
Inspired.
I create jewelry that reflects elements of urban life and adornment—barbed wire, bottle caps & blunts, industrial landscapes, sharp hardware, and supple curves. I like things delicate but dangerous. My handcrafted designs represent my influences distilled into adornment: Afro punk, urban architecture, feminine strength, masculine polish, naughty humor, high art, pop culture and yogic grace.
Think outside the jewelry box…
