Air: The Third Chapter of the Elementals Collection

CollectionsJewelry Making
Written By Michelle Pajak-Reynolds
Close up view of sterling silver necklace with clusters of white Australian opal and clear quartz gemstone bead clusters on a dark background.

Sterling silver, Australian opal and clear quartz Samira and Nephele necklaces from Michelle Pajak-Reynolds’s Elementals Air Collection.

Air, the third chapter of the Elementals Collection is a meditation on clarity, freedom, and movement. Handcrafted sterling silver ribbons flow into sculptural dangle earrings and elegant necklaces, accented with clusters of Australian opals and clear quartz that sparkle like sunlight through drifting clouds.

Each piece is both adornment and talisman capturing the weightless grace of wind in motion. These jewels invite you to pause, breathe, and embrace the beauty of lightness carried on invisible currents.

Each material choice was intentional. Silver is cool, fluid and strong. Opals remind me of the sky, always shifting, never the same twice. Clear quartz brings that refreshing feeling of an open breeze against the skin.

The Elementals Collection as a whole has always been about the forces that shape us, both in nature and internally. From the start, I pictured it as a six chapter journey, each element taking form through precious metals and thoughtfully sourced gemstones.

Fire came first, all about passion and transformation.
Water followed, rooted in emotion, depth, and intuition.
Air is the third chapter, and it’s about inspiration, movement, and breath.

Earth, Metal, and Ether are still to come. Those chapters will move into quieter territory, grounding and refining the collection in new ways.

Together, all six elements form a complete cycle.

Elementals Collection: Air

Michelle Pajak-Reynolds

The creative journey of Michelle Pajak-Reynolds—from childhood spark to timeless, handcrafted treasures.

“My love story with jewelry began before I was born. My parents met across a jewelry counter—my mother, a jewelry department manager; my father, a police officer working loss prevention in his off-duty hours. That moment of serendipity set everything in motion.

By five, I was working on my first designs in pop-beads and jelly bracelets, completely captivated by Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman—especially those iconic power bracelets and her gleaming tiara. I didn’t want to just wear magic, I wanted to make it. With babysitting money and a fierce sense of purpose, I bought beads and wire from the local craft store and taught myself the fundamentals. That curiosity turned into a calling.

I took my first metalsmithing class in high school and never looked back. I went on to earn a BFA in Jewelry/Metals from Kent State University and an MBA in Entrepreneurship from Baldwin-Wallace University—equipping me to build a business rooted in craftsmanship, creativity, and soul.

Since founding my namesake jewelry company in 2001, I’ve focused on creating meaningful, one-of-a-kind designs—each one handcrafted using traditional metalsmithing techniques and ethically sourced materials. My work is intimate and intentional: forged in fire, shaped by hand, and designed to stir something deep within you. Every gemstone, every metal, every story that inspires a collection is carefully chosen, researched, and refined. This is slow jewelry with a purpose: to help you mark what matters most.

My pieces have graced red carpets at the Emmy Awards, runways at New York Fashion Week, and exhibitions around the world—including aboard the United Nations Peace Boat. Collectors, stylists, and editors seek out my work, but what means the most to me is when a client says, “This feels like it was made just for me.”

Because it was.

Jewelry, to me, is personal mythology made tangible. It’s a way of preserving the past, celebrating the present, and passing something meaningful into the future. So when you open your jewelry box, you're not just looking at beautiful objects—you're holding pieces of your life’s story. And maybe, just maybe, you're beginning a new chapter.” - Michelle Pajak-Reynolds

michellepajakreynolds.com
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