Alexandra Sydorenko

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Alexandra was born and raised in Ukraine. When Alexandra was about six years old, she saw a magnificent beaded herdan made by her great-grandmother Anastasia. Instantly falling in love with this beaded treasure, she decided to learn how to make this kind of jewelry herself.

           A little over fifteen years ago Alexandra went through a series of unexpected events that led her to start combining beads, leather, and semiprecious gemstones. This revelation was nothing short of a miracle for her. A year later she decided to enter a beading contest and, to her utmost surprise, the first piece she ever submitted won! She has since accumulated over the years both national and international victories and publications in US, Ukrainian, British, and German magazines. She had her pieces modeled on a runway. A few of her necklace creations spent a year on exhibit at the TOHO Museum in Japan, and two others were featured in Creative Beading, Volumes 9 &10.

Alexandra says: “The most frequent question I get is what was my inspiration for a particular piece? At first, I thought the answer was simple, as most of my pieces were inspired by nature. But with time I understood that my sources of inspiration range from music to architecture, from the colors in famous paintings to emotions. Very often it is also the case that I am simply and deeply inspired by the unique designs of the cabochons I work with. So, when I am now asked about my inspiration, I say that it’s the manifestation of life in all of its various forms. In my work I always strive to select the highest quality materials. Some of the combinations may seem odd and unexpected, but I take care to merge the shapes, colors, and textures that will best express my ideas. I work with seed beads, fine semi-precious stones, gorgeous Swarovski crystals, leather, silks, soutache, gold and silver wires, hand painted cabs and so on. I am always open-minded to using new items and to introducing elements from other crafts which I have experience with.” 

       Alexandra teaches beading classes at US bead shops, at bead shows, on Zoom and sometimes internationally.