Mira: Modern Talisman Jewelry Inspired by Ancient Stone Circles
Detail view of Michelle Pajak-Reynolds’s Mira Collection: Ciana earrings featuring ethically mined Herkimer diamond quartz crystals, Fairmined 14 karat gold and hand-pierced recycled sterling silver. Photo credit: Michelle Pajak-Reynolds
The Mira Collection grew out of my fascination with old stones and the quiet sense of history they carry. Every piece is one of a kind and made by hand using ethically mined Herkimer diamond quartz, Fairmined 14k gold, and recycled sterling silver. The designs are inspired by ancient stone circles, shaped slowly by weather, time, and human hands. I think of them as modern talismans, pieces that aren’t just worn, but lived with over time.
Unearthing Wonder: The Origin of the Mira Collection
It all started with a dig.
In September 2019, I was at the Ace of Diamonds Mine in Herkimer County, New York. I had a few hand tools, some good friends, and that hopeful feeling of treasure hunting in the dirt. As we were looking for Herkimer diamonds, something clicked.
Jewelry artist Michelle Pajak-Reynolds shovels dirt and small rock rubble into a 5-gallon bucket in preparation for sluice mining at the Ace of Diamonds Mines in Herkimer County, New York, September 2019. Photo credit: Trista Bonnett
Suddenly, I was back in England.
New Year’s Eve, 1998. Stonehenge. I was there on a Kent State University study abroad trip, and it was cold with gray overcast skies. The wind blew in that bone-deep, cuts-through-your-coat-and-every-layer kind of way. My art school classmates retreated to the gift shop to warm up, but I stayed outside. I had dreamed and saved for over a year from my department store jewelry counter job just to pay for school and be on that trip. Absolutely nothing was going to drag me away from those stones.
Panoramic view of Stonehenge taken on December 31, 1998 by Michelle Pajak-Reynolds during her art history study abroad in England and France. Photo credit: Michelle Pajak-Reynolds
I walked slowly around the circle, taking it all in. The lichen-covered stones. The weight of time. The quiet. The sound of that bitterly cold wind. Then I spotted a small white stone near the path. I pulled off my gloves, scraped it out of the ground with frozen fingers, and slipped it into my pocket, dirt and all. Forget souvenirs. That stone felt personal. It came home with me and decades later still has a special spot in my studio.
Years later, standing in a Herkimer mine, that same feeling came rushing back. That connection between earth, time, and human hands. That’s when the Mira Collection really started to come together.
Michelle Pajak-Reynolds’s special stone collected from the visitors path surrounding Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England. Photo credit: Michelle Pajak-Reynolds
How the Pieces are Made
As with all my jewelry collections, the inspiration subject matter and raw materials are obsessively researched. Using traditional metalsmithing techniques, I crafted each design by hand in Fairmined 14 karat yellow gold and recycled sterling silver. Each Herkimer diamond is carefully selected for its unique shape and sparkle. No two are alike, and that’s exactly what I love about them.
Herkimer diamonds are 500-million-year-old raw quartz crystals. Mined exclusively in Herkimer County, New York each gem naturally forms with 18 facets, six sides and two points (double terminations). While not exactly diamonds (diamonds are pure carbon crystals, Herkimers are silicon dioxide), Herkimers acquired their diamond nickname for their natural sparkle and diamond-like silhouette. Clear quartz crystals featuring this identical crystal system are found elsewhere in the world, however only those mined in Herkimer County New York can authentically be called Herkimer diamonds.
A visit to Stonehenge is a moment that stays with you forever. There are endless stories tied to it, from ritual and astronomy to myths about misbehaving youth being turned to stone for partying at Stonehenge past midnight. Modern archaeology tells us it was built in stages, starting about 5,000 years ago, using simple tools like hammerstones, antler picks, ropes, and wood. Thinking about all of that human effort, patience, and ingenuity is part of what makes it so powerful.
Old stone tools, along with aerial images of Stonehenge and other ancient stone circles, directly influenced the hand-pierced patterns I create in satin-finished sterling silver. Each Herkimer diamond is set in a classic four-prong 14K Fairmined gold setting, designed to showcase each crystal facet as much as possible.
Ethical sourcing matters deeply to me. As a Fairmined licensed brand, the gold I use supports small-scale mining communities and follows strict standards that protect both people and the planet.
Ancient Materials, Modern Magic
People have been carrying stones in their pockets and wearing metal on their bodies for thousands of years. We’ve always looked to these materials for meaning, comfort, and connection.
The Mira Collection comes from that instinct. Ancient materials. Modern forms. Jewelry that feels personal, grounded, and timeless. Little reminders that we’re still tied to the ground beneath our feet.
Mira Collection
Related posts:
Sparkle a Plenty: Mining for Herkimer Diamond Quartz Crystals in Herkimer, New York
Gemstone Spotlight: Golden Enhydro Quartz Crystals
Voyageuse: Jewels Inspired by Moss
Want to Explore More?
If the story behind Mira sparked your imagination, you may also enjoy these books that inspired and informed my research. (I encourage you to look for them at your local library or independent bookstore.)
Rings of Stone: The Prehistoric Stone Circles of Britain and Ireland by Aubrey Burl and Edward Piper
Stone Circles of Chaco Canyon by Thomas C. Windes
America’s Stonehenge: The Mystery Hill Story, from Ice Age to Stone Age by David Goudsward with Robert E. Stone
Celtic Sacred Landscapes by Nigel Pennick
Great Stone Circles: Fables, Fictions, Facts by Aubrey Burl
