An interview with #Project Gaia
PGNYC Blog
PGNYC Brand Founder Q&A: Miracle Icons, Mary Jo Pane
September 29, 2021|Accessories, Jewelry
We sat down with Nebraska native and self-taught jewelry designer, Mary Jo Pane to learn more about what makes her brand Miracle Icons, which she founded in 2001, unique, her commitment to sustainability, and why she wanted to be a part of Project Gaia NYC.
The former Vice President of Neiman Marcus and Pane's fashion colleague, and mentor, Lewis Hopkins describes how she and her brand make an ideal pair, "Mary Jo and Miracle Icons are very similar. They both have a respect for tradition, a sense of modernity, and an authenticity that raises them both above the crowd."
PGNYC: What inspired you to create your brand?
MJP: It was a combination of 9/11 and a dear friend’s illness. Thinking about those 2 things one cold night in November of 2001 I came up with the idea to make jewelry using spiritual medals like I wore in grade school and make them into cool jewelry people would want to wear. I knew I wanted to call it Miracle Icons because I do believe miracles can happen.
PGNYC: What makes your brand unique?
MJP: I know that I was the first to use vintage icons, even though in the past 20 years I have been knocked off a lot. So it is the use of vintage icons. And I think the ex-voto branding piece on every piece of jewelry. If I realize I have St. Christopher and St. Anthony on a chain, I'll go, 'Oops, we need some feminine vibration here. I also only use odd numbers of medals on a piece, whether it is one, three, five, or seven. It's an aesthetic thing, I don't know why.
PGNYC: How do you incorporate sustainability into your brand and how do you plan to continue to do so?
MJP: By repurposing vintage and antique spiritual medals from Europe.
PGNYC: What was the biggest thrill of your life?
MJP: Bruce Springsteen was on the Today Show and I saw that he was wearing two Miracle Icons necklaces. I knew that a lot of celebrities wore my stuff but he is one of my favorites. (Springsteen would later wear three more of Pane's necklaces on his "Magic" album cover and on a Rolling Stones cover.) Later that week we briefly ran into each other at a benefit. Even celebrities need something real and authentic in a world that sometimes resembles a bad reality show.
PGNYC: What is the greatest lesson you have learned through your brand?
MJP: I have learned that in times of need people are comforted by the spiritual nature of Miracle Icons. I have always stressed this is not a "soully" Christian product it is for the spiritually evolved. I have also learned to step back from my taste sometimes and give the customer what they want.
PGNYC: Which product from your brand is your favorite and why?
MJP: My bracelets I wear several at a time I love the sound they make. My favorite icons I find are the ones that are so worn from incessant rubbing that the image has almost disappeared.
PGNYC: What got you interested in Project Gaia NYC and why did you want to be a part of it?
MJP: Through a mutual business colleague, I was introduced to Danielle and Shriya. I immediately felt simpatico with them, I think the vision they have will have a major impact on the way retail grows in a post-pandemic economy.
Miracle Icons is for people who are looking for something to make them feel good, better, protected, in touch, whatever it may be. Everyone makes their own personal connection to it. The icons that Mary Jo uses do not represent a specific saint, but a tangible link to spirituality that you can touch in times of anxiety, stress, and just know that it's there.