Maggie Meister began beading after “coveting” a pair of earrings worn by her son’s teacher. When she learned that the teacher had made them after taking a class, Maggie signed up for a bead class at the Shepherdess and never looked back. She spent the next four years in the Seattle area, studying with the wonderful teachers at BEADS AND BEYOND in Bellevue,Washington and then began teaching and working at the shop.

A move to Naples, Italy in 1998 changed her life forever and in ways she never could have imagined. The rich, lively culture of the Neapolitan people and the ancient mosaics, frescoes, and jewelry designs from Pompeii and the Vesuvius area are a major source of inspiration for her designs. In addition, she has studied at the Mosaic Art School in Ravenna, Italy under Luciana Notturni and learned the ancient traditional methods of creating mosaics. This has added to her ability to create beadwork translated from the designs of frescoes and mosaics seen on the floors and walls of abbeys, monasteries and ruins.

Sculptural reflections from the images she loves are translated into jewelry using seed beads with a variety of stitches.

Maggie has taught and continues to teach workshops nationally and internationally in Turkey, Germany and Italy. Her work has been shown in Milan and Naples and has been featured in MASTERS BEADWEAVING SERIES published by Lark Books, juried by Carol Wilcox Wells; BEADWORK Magazine, BEAD & BUTTON Magazine along with others.