What began as a therapeutic hobby has now become a way of life for bead designer Sewra (pronounced like “Laura” but with an “S”), who threads passion with imagination to create her unique yet universal form of art known to woman and mankind as waist beads.  The whole beading experience is much like a spiritual relationship; a meditational experience that transcends energy from its cultural origins.  From the Egyptian, Roman, Oriental and Islamic influenced Eastern Mediterranean to African, Native American and Italian civilizations, the history of beads used as decorative ornamentation and its social and artistic significance is a powerful inspiration.

Sewra’s waist beads look like finely crafted pieces of jewelry.  Her secret is using a multihued palate, which yields a bold, rich and sophisticated color combination.  The creator behind the beads also carefully selects a mixture of large stones and various natural materials like shells, feathers and bone and semi-precious stones to create beautiful and personal handcrafted accessories that now include couture waist beads, bracelets and body beads.  Sewra is the originator of contemporary waist beads and artistry beading. “I’m not a artist in the traditional sense of drawing and painting. But beading for me is how I express myself artistically”.

It has often been said that love is pain and pain is love and for Sewra, that adage has proven to be true.  The New York native began making waist beads in an effort to “pass time and clear her mind,” while she mended a broken heart.  “There was this guy that I was in love with and he just didn’t feel the same way about me,” recalls Sewra.  “At the time, my best friend was making waist beads and I always asked her to make me some.  She told me that I needed a hobby and I should make my own. So I began going to all the beads stores and buying all these pretty beads and I just started making waist beads from there! It all came so natural!”

Through old pain, Sewra found a new love, in which she wanted to share with the world.  From her humble beginnings of simply selling her “beads on a string” creations at various street fairs to having her fine works of art featured within the glossy pages of national mainstream publications such as Cosmopolitan, NV and Complex.   “I want women to not feel that they have to be a size 2 to wear my waist beads ‘cause you don’t.”

“I always say that my waist beads are works of art only daring flygurls who want to be noticed would wear, but these pieces are truly one of a kind and I love to see women adorned in my work not only because they look sexy, but because they’re doing something personal for themselves.  After suffering from a heartbreak, I find that it’s imperative that you should take the time to do something special for yourself and my creations are perfect for doing just that.”