"For me, Native beaded earrings have always been like my super hero cape. I put them on in the morning and I feel seen. I feel strong. However, too often, Native beaded earrings are not always the most comfortable nor easy to wear every day.
This led me to start Cheyanne Symone in 2018 when I saw a need for Native beaded earrings that I could comfortably wear every day. I wanted earrings that were subtly chic while still making a statement in my daily life.
Cheyanne Symone is a combination of my identity as an indigenous Haliwa-Saponi woman, environmental scientist, and artist."
- Brittany C. Turner
Founder/ artist/ scientist
Director of Data Analytics
Kate is an energy nerd and leads data at Cheyanne Symone. Kate and Brittany met at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor while pursuing their graduate degrees, and worked on a team that developed an energy plan for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.
Today, Kate works full-time as an Energy and Water Resource Efficiency Manager in NY and lives part-time in State College, PA. In addition to beaded earrings, Kate loves bouldering, being in water, and spending time in nature.
Director of Operations
Sarah is an organization nerd who manages the day-to-day operations of Cheyanne Symone. She loves data management, process improvement, and collaborating with colleagues on meaningful projects. Sarah and Brittany were introduced to each other by a mutual friend at a very opportune time, and Sarah has been grateful to work with the vibrant and supportive Cheyanne Symone team ever since. She is based in Ann Arbor, MI.
Beader
Rebecca is a Two-Spirit artist from the Little Traverse Bay bands of Odawa Indians pursuing a degree in Sociology from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. She is the artist behind Queerkwe Designs where the purpose of her work is to create representation for LGBTQ and Two-Spirit Indigenous folks.
Beader
CarolynL. Anderson is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is an artist with experience in curation, and she was also a buyer of Indigenous art and jewelry for Birchbark Books and Native Arts where she worked for 16 years.Carolynstarted beadworking in 2020 and recently launched her own Native arts online shop called Old Cedar Native Arts.
Beader
Mayais an artist from the Turtle Mountain Chippewa, Little Shell Chippewa, and Zapotec tribes. She is currently pursuing a degree at the University of WA- Seattle and was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. She finds joy in beading for community, family, and friends. Her passion for beading and her creativity can be seen on her Instagram site,Maya's Native Beading, where she shares and sells her handcrafted jewelry pieces.