Pleiades: Jewels Inspired by the Seven Sisters
Michelle Pajak-Reynolds’ s Pleiades Collection: Merope earrings featuring 4.45 carats raw sapphires, Fairmned 14k gold and champagne zircons. Photo credit; Julie Stanley/JuleImages
The Pleiades Collection
The night sky has always filled me with a sense of wonder. Its beauty, its mystery, and the way it connects us across time and cultures. The Pleiades Collection grew out of that feeling. Each one-of-a-kind piece is handcrafted in Fairmined 14k gold and set with ethically mined Umba sapphires and softly sparkling champagne zircons. These designs celebrate the stars and the stories they have inspired for thousands of years.
A Cosmic Muse
Known as the Seven Sisters, the Pleiades have guided civilizations across the world, marking seasons, ceremonies, and cycles of life. I was drawn to how many cultures wove stories of feminine power, transformation, and resilience around this single cluster of stars.
My journey into these myths began with The Seven Sisters of the Pleiades by Munya Andrews, which traces more than 40,000 years of shared human storytelling across continents. From there, I found inspiration in Aboriginal Songlines, in Anjali Sachdeva’s haunting short story Pleiades, and in Barbara Hand Clow’s cosmic teachings. Together, these stories shaped a collection where each piece honors one star and the feminine spirit at its core.
A color composite image of the Pleiades star cluster from the Digitized Sky Survey
Stones with a Story
Sapphires have long been linked to the sky, making them the perfect foundation for this collection. I chose rough, unfaceted Umba sapphires, stones shaped by nature rather than polish. They are sourced through Moyo Gems, a responsible initiative that supports and empowers women miners in Tanzania.
There is something deeply meaningful about sapphires mined by women and connected to a constellation so often associated with feminine energy. As Barbara Hand Clow writes, “Pleiadians enter our world via sapphires,” a poetic idea that felt ideal for this collection.
Crafted with Intention
Every element of the Pleiades Collection is intentionally designed. The sapphires are set in custom, hand-fabricated open-back settings made from Fairmined 14k yellow gold. I wanted the stones to rest against the skin, creating a quiet connection between the wearer and the gem’s natural energy.
The softly hammered, satin-finished gold discs represent points on a star map. I made each disc by melting down tiny leftover pieces of Fairmined gold scrap, hammering them flat, and soldering them into celestial patterns. It’s a labor of love, and a reflection of the alchemy of transformation; turning remnants into radiant symbols. Faceted clusters of champagne zircons add just the right amount of twinkling starlight.
An exquisite Moyo Gems 5.35 carat blue-violet rough sapphire mined by Anna-Julius in Tanzania and featured in Michelle Pajak-Reynolds’s Pleiades Collection Adelpha pendant. Photo credit: Michelle Pajak-Reynolds Studios
A Personal Connection to the Cosmos
I’ve always felt that jewelry is a deeply personal form of storytelling. Each design in the Pleiades Collection is named after the mythological sisters Alcyone, Electra, Maia, Merope, Taygeta, Celaeno, and Asterope and their celestial parents, Atlas and Pleione.
One piece, however, carries a different name: Adelpha. That name doesn’t appear in the traditional Greek myths, but it spoke to me after reading Sachdeva’s story. Her character Adelpha, a voice of strength and quiet rebellion, felt like the brightest star in her own narrative. “Adelpha” means “beloved sister” in Greek, so I gave that name to the design that holds the largest sapphire in the collection.
Jewelry with Purpose
As a Fairmined licensed brand, I believe jewelry can and should be a force for good. The gold I use is sourced through transparent, traceable supply chains that support artisanal mining communities in Peru and Colombia. The handcrafted elements in this collection are made with Fairmined gold imported by Hoover & Strong, and the delicate chains come from Riva Precision, using gold from Minera Oro Puno, a thriving 25-person community in Ananea, Peru.
Celestial. Feminine. Timeless.
When you wear a piece from the Pleiades Collection, I hope you feel a sense of connection, not just to the stars, but to the people, the stories behind each gem and gram of gold, and to something greater than ourselves.
The Pleiades Collection
