Artiste Inspirant: Michelle Pajak-Reynolds Interview on Love the Green Life

Dear friends,

I love, love, LOVE sharing stories about my creative process. Chatting about gems and jewelry makes me extremely happy, and I love that it makes our jewelry and art loving community happy as well!

A few days ago, I had the extreme delight of chatting with Jess Taylor and Natalie Ringeis, hosts of the Love the Green Life Podcast. In this episode we discuss how my daughter has artwork at Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral, exciting stories about the inspiration for my collections, how I've shifted to making more sustainable choices in the raw materials and processes for creating my one-of-a-kind jewelry designs and tips for keeping your jewelry looking fabulous for years to come.

Our fun and informative conversation is available here and on your favorite podcast platform.

Enjoy!

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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MJSA Podcast: 5 Favorite Tools with Michelle Pajak-Reynolds

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Tool Talk: Why Lindstrom RX Pliers and Cutters are My Favorite Jewelry Making Tools