Rising Stars: Meet Lesley Jones of Dayton, Ohio (Oakwood)

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lesley Jones.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
It all started with my aunt. She was young — too young — when she was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. During her treatment, a woman gave her a small silver pendant and told her it had been worn by others before her who had needed strength too. That pendant became her constant reminder that she wasn’t alone — that even in the hardest moments, she was part of something bigger.

When my aunt got stronger, she passed that same pendant to my mom when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. My mom wore it every day through her treatments, drawing comfort from knowing that she wasn’t the first to carry it — and that she wouldn’t be the last. That simple act of passing it on turned into something much deeper: a shared chain of courage that traveled from one woman to another.

Watching that pendant move through my family made me realize something profound — it wasn’t just jewelry. It was connection. It was proof that even in our hardest moments, we’re not alone. And I couldn’t stop thinking… what if we could build

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road — but I don’t think it was supposed to be. Traveling Pendants was born from something deeply personal, and building something that meaningful from scratch is never linear.

In the beginning, I was hand-stamping every single pendant myself in my kitchen, shipping orders one by one, and trying to figure out how to merge something as tangible and emotional as jewelry with something as complex as technology. I wasn’t a tech founder — I was a mom with an idea that wouldn’t let go of me. Learning how to build a digital storytelling platform while sourcing high-quality, ethically made sterling silver pieces was a crash course in persistence.

There were plenty of challenges: supply chain issues, learning Shopify and web integrations late at night, navigating IP protection for our patent-pending QR code system, and figuring out how to communicate something people had never seen before — jewelry that travels and collects stories. I heard “that’s too complicated” more times than

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
At Traveling Pendants, we create more than jewelry — we create connection. Each pendant we make is heirloom quality precious metal and engraved with a unique, patent-pending QR code that links to an online story hub. When someone scans their pendant, they can register it, share their story, wear it for strength and, when the time feels right, then pass it on. Every pendant carries a growing chain of real, human stories about loss, hope, healing, and resilience — all visible online for others to read and draw strength from.

What I do is bridge two worlds that rarely overlap: fine jewelry and storytelling technology. I lead both the creative and strategic sides — designing heirloom-quality pieces people love to wear, while also building the digital platform that tracks and connects their stories.

I think what sets Traveling Pendants apart is that it’s about real people. Most jewelry tells a story about style; ours tells the story of you. Each pendant is literally a living artifact of human connection. It begins with one person’s story, then travels — across hands, across hearts, across miles — collecting the strength of everyone it touches.

I’m most proud of how deeply people connect to it. Every week I hear from someone who says reading a stranger’s story helped them through grief, gave them hope, or reminded them they’re not alone. That’s when I know we’re doing something special — we’re proving that technology doesn’t have to distance us. It can actually bring us closer together.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memories are from the summers I spent just a few blocks from my cousins. There were eight of us total — my three siblings and our four cousins — and we practically lived at their backyard pool. Every day, we’d ride our bikes over with towels hanging from the handlebars and stay there until the sun went down.

They had one of those big plastic slides — the kind that twisted and wound around before sending you flying into the water — back when those were still considered safe. We’d take turns racing down it, spend hours playing Marco Polo and Sharks and Minnows until our lips turned blue — it’s all still so vivid to me.

Those summers were simple and perfect. We didn’t have phones or schedules; it was just free play free of distractions. It’s funny — looking back now, I think that’s where I first learned what real connection feels like. That sense of belonging, of shared joy, of being part of something bigger than yourself — it’s the same feeling I try to create through Traveling Pendants.

Pricing:

• Pendants are $150 and include chain.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://travelingpendants.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelingpendants/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travelingpendants/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesleyjones63