Elementals Collection: Chapter Two - Water

Jewelry MakingCollectionsInside the Studio
Written By Michelle Pajak-Reynolds
Sterling silver, aquamarine, clear quartz and Australian opal gemstone bead cluster necklace.

Sterling silver, aquamarine, clear quartz and Australian opal Enna necklace from Michelle Pajak-Reynolds’s Elementals Water Collection.

The Elementals Collection grew out of my love for color, texture, and the deeper energy of the six elements: Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Metal, and Ether. Each chapter focuses on one element and translates its energy and symbolism into contemporary, wearable jewelry.

Chapter Two is all about Water. I’ve always been drawn to its fluid elegance and the way it represents serenity, clarity, and transformation. This chapter takes those feelings into pieces that feel both powerful and peaceful. There are delicate drops, bold dangles, and intricate cluster necklaces, six designs in total, all inspired by the way water moves and catches the light.

The palette stays soft and soothing. Aquamarine, clear quartz, grandidierite, indicolite tourmaline, and Australian opal shimmer alongside hand-crafted sterling silver details. These stones mirror water’s ever-changing nature. Calm, cleansing, and quietly luminous.

Every design in this chapter is meant to flow with ease, inviting you to connect with the quiet strength and depth that water carries.

As with all my work, every material in Elementals: Water was chosen with intention, both for its beauty and its energy.

Grandidierite brings harmony, tranquility, and emotional balance.
Aquamarine calls to the sea and encourages happiness, hope, and calm.
Australian opal supports clarity, insight, and positive transformation.
Indicolite blue tourmaline nurtures empathy and deepens intuition.
Clear quartz amplifies energy and focus while helping clear away negativity.
Sterling silver is known for supporting inner peace, protection, and balance.

Each piece is meant to be a talisman, a small reminder of water’s ability to calm, cleanse, and gently guide us through change.

Elementals Collection: Water

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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Slowmade Podcast Episode 67: Michelle Pajak-Reynolds - Creating Future Heirlooms, Environmentally Sensitive and Ethical Metalsmithing Practices, & Pricing for Success