The Story Behind Sappho’s Jewelry – An Interview with Lea Waide

Raised in what she describes as a “liberal household in a tiny small town in the south,” Lea says she didn’t identify as a lesbian until just a few years ago. When she and her husband split in 2019 she went all-in on her journey of acceptance.

Lea Waide doesn’t want her jewelry to be subtle, in fact, she’s comfortable with her sexuality and wants to embrace it, but she doesn’t want to “put on a rainbow tee” to tell people she’s queer. “On a Saturday night I’m dressed up. I’m not adding a rainbow to my stilettos.” When it comes to queer-identifying jewelry, she tells me when we chat, “your choices are rainbows, or scissors. Those are your only options.” If she wanted eye-catching jewelry that could tell a story, she decided that she was going to design it herself. Sappho’s Jewelry, now available here at Pink Robin, was born.

Raised in what she describes as a “liberal household in a tiny small town in the south,” Lea says she didn’t identify as a lesbian until just a few years ago. When she and her husband split in 2019 she went all-in on her journey of acceptance.

“When you’re raised around that straight culture it’s all you know. It took me a long time to fully understand my sexuality and embrace it, and not be ashamed of it.”

Lea says she comes from an artistic family–her mom is a jewelry designer and Lea herself was a professional dancer and acrobat for many years–and she believes that designing sapphic jewelry is her purpose in life. “I was wearing a rainbow Apple watch band,” she tells me, describing how difficult it was to be seen as a member of the queer community and not just an ally. She really hated that watch band, and knew there was a better way to identify herself. She imagined someone commenting on a piece of her jewelry, and the conversation it could start. Suddenly she might be discussing the life of the ancient poet Sappho, for whom her jewelry line is named. “It’s a great talking piece,” she says.

Oh I love your ring

Oh, it’s Sappho do you know who it is?

“You can identify yourself,” she explains. “I don’t want my jewelry to be subtle. I don’t need to be subtle.”

Lea loves teaching people about Sappho, history’s most famous lesbian, and was surprised to learn how many queer people aren’t familiar with her story. “I want to get that history out there and make people aware of the story that I’m trying to tell,” Lea explains.

Her first design was a ring that depicts Sappho with a wreath on her head. “I don’t know how to draw, but I have these ideas,” she tells me, so Lea hired a sketch artist and they began to collaborate on Lea’s vision. “I have so many ideas. I’m already four times over my original budget because I keep adding.”

Lea finds inspiration in her everyday life and conversations, and has no plans of slowing down. “I’m constantly thinking of new ideas and writing them down.” While Lea eventually hopes to take the brand in a more upscale direction, she understands that affordability matters. Her dream? “I want Sappho’s Jewelry to be a recognizable worldwide brand.”

Hey there. Laura Leigh here. I’m a wife, writer, mama, small business owner, podcast host, and the Head of Content here at Pink Robin.

I love supporting the queer community and bringing shared experiences to life.

If you have a story to tell, I’m here for it.

la********@pi***********.com

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I remember when my wife and I first became moms, I knew that our ability to “pass” was behind us. I was never going to pretend that my wife and family were something other than exactly who they were. It was freeing to know that I had to live my queer life out loud, that I would forever be myself in every space, all the time.

In a 2023 CNN article Daniel Korschun, associate professor of marketing at Drexel University explained that when it comes to supporting the LGBTQ+ community, executives “are becoming much more skittish about taking these stands and making strong statements.

According to a 2022 Pew Research Poll, roughly eight-in-ten U.S. adults say there is at least some discrimination against transgender people in our society. Because trans rights have become such a contentious issue across the country, companies that used to view supporting pride as “low stakes” have become less likely to support the LGBTQ+ community as a whole. “The pendulum is swinging a bit back … toward a more conservative approach, where they’ll be less vocal,” says Korschun. According to a recent NBC News article, Target stores will only sell pride merchandise in select locations this year. The retailer will not have Pride collections in about half of their locations. Additionally, they will only sell pride merchandise for adults.

An argument that Target has made in the past and is now using again is that this decision protects their LGBTQ+ employees, but let’s be clear: Conditional allyship is not support. Pulling queer merchandise from their shelves and essentially pretending that we don’t exist–and ignoring those of us who have children that want to celebrate pride with us–is detrimental to our community. Erasure threatens our safety. This weekend my mom told me that she’s done with Target. Like her, I can’t say I feel good about spending my money in a place that doesn’t value my family. As of today, the ACLU is currently tracking 515 anti-LGBTQ bills in the U.S. We exist, and abandoning us only endangers us.