Specialty - Bead Embroidery

Born and raised in Ukraine, Alexandra discovered beadwork at an early age. When she was about six, she saw a stunning beaded herdan—a traditional Ukrainian necklace, typically woven from tiny seed beads into intricate geometric patterns, often long and ribbon-like, sometimes with a central pendant—made by her great-grandmother, Anastasia. Captivated, Alexandra knew she wanted to learn to create this kind of jewelry herself.

More than fifteen years ago, a series of unexpected life events led Alexandra to begin combining beads, leather, and semiprecious gemstones in her work. This creative turning point felt nothing short of miraculous. Just one year later, she entered her first beading competition and, to her amazement, the very first piece she submitted won. Since then, Alexandra has earned numerous national and international awards and has been featured in magazines across the United States, Ukraine, Britain, and Germany. Her jewelry has appeared on the runway, several of her necklace designs were exhibited for a year at the TOHO Museum, and two of her pieces were featured in Creative Beading, Volumes 9 and 10.

Alexandra is often asked where she gets her “inspiration for a particular piece?” While initially the answer seemed simply nature, over time she realized that her creative spark comes from multiple places, such as music, architecture, the colors found in famous paintings, emotions, and especially the unique beauty of the cabochons she works with. She describes her inspiration as the “manifestation of life in all its various forms.”

Alexandra is deeply committed to using the highest quality materials in her work. Although some of her combinations may seem unusual or unexpected, she carefully blends shapes, colors, and textures to best express her artistic vision. Her work incorporates seed beads, fine semiprecious stones, Swarovski crystals, leather, silks, soutache, gold and silver wire, hand-painted cabochons, and many other materials. She remains open-minded in her approach, always eager to experiment with new supplies and incorporate techniques from other crafts she has explored.

Today, Alexandra teaches beading classes throughout the United States at bead shops, bead shows, on Zoom, and occasionally at international events.