Paul Michael Design

Nov 30

In their own words

“What’s super fun is the stuff I do in Hollywood. I’ve done a few primary props in the movies. For the horror movie, “The Conjuring,” we did the primary prop, a locket that had a family member’s photo in it. It was key to the whole plot. I also made a nice band for Cate Blanchett in “Where’d You Go Bernadette?” They shot that partially here in Pittsburgh.”

-Paul Bierker

Jason’s Interview with Paul

Jason

We're back on Meet the Jewelers and today we're talking to Paul Michael Bierker. How did you enter the jewelry industry?

Paul

Kind of by accident. No family history in it. No real desire to do it. I ended up taking a couple classes in college and transferring over. It sparked me, gave me a little bit of interest, and what I was doing in college was changing rapidly. The education I was receiving wasn't quite adapting. I was in graphic design in the late 1980s, so the dawn of desktop publishing was coming and the school wasn't interested in looking at that.

When I look at jewelry, I don't consider it a bauble or a luxury good. It's an expression of emotional graphic representation of your life.

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Jason
Were you always into retail?

Paul
I've always been in sales or a trust-driven kind of interaction. When you can sell your own wares, that's great. The first semester of my jewelry class, I was selling everything I was making.

Jason
How would you describe where you are now?

Paul
The nice thing about us is I'm not really a brand. I'm a local dude to go to for custom, geeky, sci-fi stuff.

Jason
Walk us through what the experience looks like for a customer.

Paul
It's fairly simple, a five-step process. It's an interview first, where we talk about needs and desires. We develop a style profile. I want to make jewelry that people wear every day.

Jason
Tell us about some of the most exciting pieces you've worked on?

Paul
What's super fun is the stuff I do in Hollywood. I've done a few primary props in the movies. That stuff's always cool, interesting, super interactive.

I made a major prop for the horror movie "The Conjuring". We did the primary prop, which was a locket that had a family member's photo in it. It was a key to the whole plot. I also made a nice band for Cate Blanchett in "Where'd You Go, Bernadette?" They shot that partially here in Pittsburgh, so I got to be on that crew for a little bit.

Jason
Why do you think people trust you?

Paul
It comes down to a lot of things. It comes down to global reputation. I'm an artist. I fail occasionally, but I succeed most of the time. When you're honest and empathetic with your customer, they tend to return the favor. It's really special. Every piece we do is the most important piece. I like sharing my love and passion with other people.

Jason
Tell us a fun proposal experience.

Paul
I let the groom or boyfriend get involved in the process. I'll be posting on Instagram and TikTok over the next couple of months all the grooms that have come in and helped make their bride's engagement ring. It makes the engagement that much more special when we bring the couple in and let them pour the gold for their wedding bands together, holding hands. It's kind of sweet. When it comes to a special engagement, when a guy comes in and puts his whole foot in it—glasses, leather vest, fire six inches from his face. I haven't had a no ever.

Jason
Can you talk about a few of the initiatives that you're part of helping in your community?

Paul
There's always a way to express a cause through jewelry. For fundraisers, I give away jewelry experiences where if you pay enough, or you auction off enough, you can come to the studio and help me make a piece and have a glass of wine while we talk about the design phase. I also do things for Cameroon Soccer, it's a not-for-profit here in Pittsburgh, now called Open Field. What it's meant to do is bring team sports like soccer to underprivileged children in Africa, and in urban areas in America now.

Jason
What do you want Meet the Jewelers to know about your store?

Paul
It's important to choose a place that speaks to you. It's amazing what kind of experience you can have when you look outside the norm for something special. That's what we built our studio on. Life's too short to work with people who just don't care. When you make a decision about jewelry, think about that too. There's a lot of great things that companies do to be less of an impact on our world. Recycled materials—we're a LEED-certified gold studio. I'm a proponent of lab-grown diamonds and their effects on the market. Recycled diamonds, things like that, things that are not evasive or don't harm the Earth or humanity. There's ways to work in this industry and lessen your impact.