Women of the Water

Q & A Interviews
Written By Michelle Pajak-Reynolds

The following article by National Jeweler Editor in Chief, Michelle Graff, was originally published on National Jeweler's 10X blog on February 27, 2015

Michelle’s pieces first crossed my desk, and caught my eye, a few years ago when she started getting involved at New York Fashion Week as an independent designer. But her history with jewelry stretches back decades.

Growing up in the Cleveland suburb of Mentor, Ohio, Michelle said she made her first piece of jewelry at the age of 5, recreating the power bracelets and tiara worn by Lynda Carter in Wonder Woman. Just to clarify, Michelle came of TV-watching age in ‘80s so she watched Wonder Woman in syndication. She did, however, enjoy the original run of She-Ra: Princess of Power, a personal favorite of mine.

More formal training started in high school, where, luckily, her school’s art department had a small jewelry studio. Michelle got into the program as a sophomore and started with cold connections, riveting, wire work--basically anything that didn’t involve soldering. (Hot tools were reserved for seniors.) “I just took to that class,” she said, “and I loved it.”

She went on to study jewelry design at Kent State University, graduating in 2001. After graduation, she submitted her work to art galleries and found private clients before breaking into New York Fashion Week in 2012, getting her clothes on models as they strutted down the runways.

Last week, the Stow, Ohio-based designer experienced another milestone: her first “large, formal trade show,” as she describes it: the American Craft Council show in Baltimore.

There, she showed her newest collection, “Undina,” which is an overarching term of various water spirits. She said the collection is based on the water goddesses of mythology as well as the imagery of mermaids turning to sea foam when they die, as detailed in the Hans Christian Andersen version of the famous fairy tale The Little Mermaid. “That particular line struck me,” Michelle said. “What would that look like?”

Please enjoy five pieces from the Undina collection while I find some old episodes of She-Ra on YouTube. If you want to see more of Michelle’s amazing work, you can visit her website.

Photo credit Julie Stanley/JuleImages LLC

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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Designer Interview with Michelle Pajak-Reynolds