Celebrating 4 Inspiring Beaders on International Women’s Day

On International Women’s Day, we celebrate all the women who create beaded jewelry. After all, the inspiration we bring to you is mostly made by and for women. (We do have some guys in our circle—we’re grateful for you, too, fellas.) Our beadwork traditions have been passed through many loving hands and continue to evolve. Here are four inspiring women beaders, along with some of their inspiration. 

ABOVE: Vibrant bead explosion courtesy of Getty Images.

Beading Artist Leslie Pope: Cover Girl for Beaders

Leslie shares, “The first person I wanted to share my success with was my mother. She was my biggest supporter in any endeavor I chose. We had many early conversations over cups of coffee on my creative future. Unfortunately, she did not live to see me graduate with my degree in fashion design. Since her death, my creative successes have had a slightly bittersweet edge. That’s why I got a little teary-eyed during the celebration and congratulations at the show. Luckily, I have wonderful friends who are able to fill that void a little.”

Musical Beadwork Artist Debora Hodoyer: Color, Style & Soul

Debora’s beadwork is strongly influenced by her childhood on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. She believes that “growing up in an island like Sardinia has influenced my creativity on a subliminal level. I’ve been surrounded by natural beauty and artistic handicrafts from a tender age. Sardinia is a real treasure of resources, ethnographic traditions and cultures. Almost each town has its own traditional clothes, richly worked and all different from each other, accompanied by sumptuous gold jewelry made with the Sardinian filigree technique.” Debora is grateful to be part of the modern generation of beaders and other makers who are influenced by their artistic traditions and heritage.

Bead Artist Nicole Vogt: A Passion for Beading

With a full-time day job in the technology field, Nicole relies on her beading habit for balance. She says, “Beading definitely calms me down from stress and my daily routine.” She spends a lot of her free time developing new designs. Like many beaders, Nicole likes to spend the evening in her living room beading while listening to the TV.

Susan Sassoon: Building a Community of Beaders

Creating new beadwork still brings Susan a feeling of peace and gratification. She explains, “I like the feeling of relaxation, sitting back on the couch with my feet up and a needle and thread in hand creating something that did not exist before. I love it when I look down at what I’m making and think, ‘WOW, this is beautiful!’ I love the feeling of wearing what I created and sharing my designs with others.”

How are you celebrating International Women’s Day? Share you favorite female bead and jewelry artists with us in the comments below, and use #InternationalWomensDay on social media to share with everyone!