Michelle Pajak-Reynolds works her way to the Emmy Awards

By Irina Hawkins

Editor’s Note: Many designers dream of seeing their jewelry adorn celebrities on the Red Carpet (and of benefiting from all the publicity that goes along with it), but most don’t know how to make it happen. In this occasional column, we’re sharing stories of jewelry designers who achieved the dream, and what it took to make it come true.

Michelle Pajak-Reynolds grew up watching “The Cosby Show.” Little did she know then that one day, Raven-Symoné—the actress who played Cosby’s young step-granddaughter—would wear her jewelry on the Red Carpet. But let’s back up a bit.

It all started with New York Fashion Week. Pajak-Reynolds had always been interested in participating, but the larger fashion shows held during this event are often financially unattainable for many independent designers. Instead, she contacted Nolcha Shows, which hosts smaller events more geared toward incubating new and upcoming talent. She was invited to participate in its February 2013 event and, though she notes that it was still a pricey endeavor, it was one she felt would pay off in the long run. And it did, just three years later.

In addition to its runway event, Nolcha hosts a Fashion Media Lounge, where designers can present their work to industry reporters, buyers, editors, and bloggers. Pajak-Reynolds was exhibiting there last year when a fellow accessory designer introduced her to two executives from the Savvy Marketing Entertainment Group in Newark, New Jersey.

After seeing the Luna Necklace and Luna Dangle Earrings from her Undina Collection, they felt the pieces would be perfect for Raven-Symoné, who was about to cover the 68th annual Emmy Awards on behalf of the daytime talk show “The View.” They texted images of the jewelry to the actress on the spot; Raven-Symoné was impressed and requested the pieces as soon as she saw them. They then called Pajak-Reynolds to tell her the news just as she was packing up her booth.

Raven-Symoné asked that the designer deliver them to her apartment that same day. Pajak-Reynolds was happy to oblige, saying that the approachable actress was “a delight.” After the designer unveiled the jewelry, Raven-Symoné spoke to her about the labradorite and crystal quartz that made up the pieces. Pajak-Reynolds got the impression that the actress knows and collects stones. She believes that Raven-Symoné was drawn to the necklace because “she’s a statement jewelry kind of girl.”

Pajak-Reynolds didn’t use her usual loan paperwork because of the speedy turn of events, choosing to go with a verbal agreement instead. The designer felt she could trust the marketers based on the references from other people in her network. “Was it a risk to take? Absolutely,” she says. The whole time she was thinking, “Is this really happening? Is this my real life?” Pajak-Reynolds found the experience strange and surreal, in a gratifying way, “All these years of work, blood, sweat, and tears to get to this point.”

Because she wasn’t paying for the product placement, Payak-Reynolds had to be careful about the way she promoted the event. She couldn’t use advertorial language to tout the pieces Raven-Symoné wore in her social media posts, but she could express her gratitude without crossing the line into promotion. She also couldn’t link to her site, saying, here are the necklace and the earrings you’re seeing on TV and on Facebook Live, which Raven-Symoné participated in during the Emmys. Despite the restrictions, the designer says that her appreciation posts on the Emmys received the highest impressions on Instagram, indicating that they were some of her most viewed posts of 2016.

Similarly, Pajak-Reynolds explains that the actress couldn’t respond to questions about the jewelry she was wearing because, otherwise, “The View” would have charged Pajak-Reynolds six figures for product placement. Instead, no money was exchanged. Even the marketers forfeited their charge, citing that Pajak-Reynolds was a friend of their client and they were interested in building a relationship. After the show, Pajak-Reynolds, also a huge believer in relationship building, sent them some Starbucks gift cards and a small pair of earrings for the actress.