Feminist Jewelry To Spark Hope and Rage This Especially Infuriating Intl. Women's Day

International Women’s Day is March 8, but I celebrate it every day of the year at Bang-Up Betty. Feminist jewelry is kind of my specialty (if you know, you know!), and my jewelry is made by me, one woman with a small workshop and a fierce desire to smash the patriarchy. Many of my designs also benefit progressive causes in Arkansas. I rounded up 21 of my favorite pieces of feminist jewelry below in case you need a little inspiration during this especially trying Women’s Day.

Smash the patriarchy! This necklace is one of my original designs I’ve been creating for nearly ten years. Somehow we need the message more than ever before. Get your Smash the Patriarchy Necklace here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/smashthepatriarchynecklace

Every summer, local nonprofit Trust Tree uplifts young girls and gender-expansive youth in our community via their music and songwriting camps, and we want to show some love back to Trust Tree by bringing awareness to their organization and raising funds for them with this “Girls Rock” hand-stamped lightning bolt necklace. Each necklace is lovingly hand-stamped letter by letter locally in my North Little Rock studio, and 25% of the sales go to Trust Tree! The little brass lightning bolt is paired with a tiny quartz crystal because it’s Arkansas’s state mineral and it’s just darn pretty. The chain is 18 inches long and 14k gold-filled, so it’s hypoallergenic. If you’d like a longer chain, you may add an extender by clicking here. To learn more about Trust Tree, visit their website here. Get your Girls Rock necklace here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/girls-rock-trust-tree-necklace

Arkansas is home and it’s worth fighting for, which is why we’ve got to keep going, keep calling our representatives and senators, keep making our voices heard, keep convincing smart people to run for office, keep working toward a more equal, equitable Natural State. This handmade Arkansas necklace features a cast bronze Arkansas pendant pressed with the words KEEP GOING to remind us to keep up the good fight. Get yours Keep Going Arkansas Necklace here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/keep-going-arkansas-necklace

This hand-stamped I DISSENT necklace is like a contemporary dissent collar, nodding to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I’ve paired the stamped bar with a silver-plated gavel charm, because there are many tools for smashing the patriarchy. Get your I Dissent Necklace here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/rbg-gavel-necklace

This “Not Aspiring to Be Humble” necklace was inspired by an interview with Kamala Harris, wherein she responds to a jab from Sarah Huckabee Sanders that Harris doesn’t have biological children to keep her humble, “I don’t think [Sanders] understands that there are a lot of women out here who, one, are not aspiring to be humble [. . .] Two, a whole lot of women who have a lot of love in their life, family in their life, and I think it’s really important for women to lift each other up.” Get your “Not Aspiring To Be Humble Necklace here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/not-aspiring-to-be-humble-necklace

Progressive women will change the world, but we have to VOTE for them and support them! These “progressive” necklaces and cuff bracelets benefit PAWPAC (Progressive Arkansas Women PAC), which helps elect PROGRESSIVE women to state and local office in Arkansas. Get your Progressive Necklace here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/progressive-necklace-or-bracelet-benefiting-pawpac

Progressive women will change the world… we just have to elect them first! This hand-stamped ELECT PROGRESSIVE WOMEN necklace benefits Emerge Arkansas, a statewide organization whose mission is to give progressive Arkansas women the tools they need to run for office and get elected. Since 2002, they’ve trained more than 6,000 women to run for office, and there are more than 1,200 Emerge alums currently serving in elected office across the United States. Our Elect Progressive Women Necklace is available to purchase through this listing or at our storefront (429 Main Street, Upstairs, in North Little Rock), and 20% of the proceeds go to Emerge Arkansas. Get your Elect Progressive Women Necklace here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/elect-progressive-women-necklace-benefiting-emerge-arkansas

“Going high” takes on several meanings in this handmade necklace. Inspired by Michelle Obama’s famous words, “When they go low, we go high,” this bronze necklace has the words GO HIGH pressed into a solid bronze mountain range, for when you need some extra motivation to get over the next ridge and revel in your hard work and commitment, or for when you need a beautiful reminder to take the high road and let the bullshit wash under you like water under a bridge instead of splashing around in it. Get Your Go High Necklace here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/go-high-mountain-range-necklace

This necklace features a brass flay charm alongside a stamped brass circle that reads I’M SPEAKING. Be like Kamala Harris. Don’t let any man talk over you. Tell them to buzz right off. Get your I’m Speaking Fly Necklace here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/fly-necklace

“Who you are authentically is alright” - Laverne Cox

The diamond shape of this handmade necklace featuring a powerful quote by trans actress and icon Laverne Cox is complemented by two tiny Herkimer diamonds (double-pointed quartz crystals) on each side, a nod to the adage that diamonds are formed under pressure. This necklace is available in sterling silver with a sterling silver chain or bronze with a 14k gold-filled chain. These necklaces are about 18 inches long, and as with all of our necklaces, we can make them longer with extensions. The pendant part of the necklace measures about 1 inch across. Get yours here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/who-you-are-authentically-laverne-cox-quote-necklace

If you’re one of the many people whose lives have been changed thanks to the magic (jk, science) of IUDs, you’ll love this bronze necklace ode to one of the most effective methods of birth control out there.

This bronze pendant was created by casting an actual IUD (intrauterine device) in bronze. The IUD medallion measures a little over one inch across and hangs from an 18-inch 14K gold-filled chain that ends in a spring clasp.

This necklace was inspired by an OBGYN and is a perfect gift for gynecologists and other specialist doctors. It’s also a beautiful, meaningful conversation starter for anyone who advocates the easy access to birth control and open conversation about reproductive health. Get your IUD Necklace here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/iud-necklace

Not every woman was born with a uterus or still has hers, but some of us do! Find my cast bronze and sterling silver uterus necklaces and earrings here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/anatomy-collection/uterus-necklace

“Whatever you choose to do, leave tracks” … as in leave tracks for others to follow your work and build on it. - Ruth Bader Ginsburg

This RBG quote encourages you to let others build on the work you’re doing, and reminds us that change sometimes takes time, but it also makes me think about all the organizations out there who have already been laying the foundation and doing the work to make the change you want to see. Be sure to seek out the effective, grassroots organizations in your area, support them, and follow their tracks before you set out completely from scratch on your own.

This pendant pressed with a powerful RBG quote and a set of footprints measures approximately one inch across and is available in bronze or sterling silver. The chain is 20 inches long and the clasp fastens onto any link in the chain, so you can wear it longer or shorter. Silver chains are sterling silver and gold chains are 14k gold-filled. As with all of our necklaces, we can make them longer with extensions. Get yours here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/leave-tracks-rbg-quote-necklace

“Women’s right are human rights, and human rights are women’s rights” - Hillary Rodham Clinton

I’ve heard this quote said so many times by so many people, and only recently I learned that Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke it in a 1995 speech. Almost 30 years later, it’s still extremely pertinent. With this pendant, I played off the mirror-like effect of the words with a reversible, framed, mirror-shaped pendant, where one side says “women’s rights are human rights” and the backside says “and human rights are women’s rights.” These pendants measures about one inch long and are available in bronze on a 14k gold-filled chain or sterling silver on a sterling silver chain. Chains are 18 inches long, and as with all of our necklaces, we can add extenders. Get yours here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/womens-rights-are-human-rights-hrc-quote-necklace

“Change takes courage” - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

If anyone has the courage to make change, it’s U.S. representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. I’m constantly in awe of her ferocity and strength, which is why I paired her quote with an anatomical heart, the symbolic source of courage and bravery. These pendants measure approximately 3/4 inch across and are available in sterling silver with a sterling silver chain and bronze with a 14k gold-filled chain. Chains are 18 inches long, and as with all of our necklaces, we can add extenders. Get yours here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/change-takes-courage-aoc-quote-necklace

“Choose people who lift you up” - Michelle Obama

First Lady, author, activist and icon Michelle Obama was speaking of her daughters with this quote encouraging them to choose partners who lift them up rather than drag them down, but this quote spoke to me far beyond the romantic connotations. Even in friendships, work partnerships and family relationships, it’s so important to be there for the people who are there for you— for the people who want more FOR you and don’t stand in the way of who you are authentically, try to control you or use you for personal gain. For me, it’s a personal mantra of self-care to hold close those who hold me close for the right reasons. This handmade necklace features a pendant with Michelle Obama’s words encircled in a twisted, decorative frame like a work of art.

This necklace is available in sterling silver with a sterling silver chain or bronze with a 14k gold-filled chain. The entire necklace is about 18 inches long, and as with all of our necklaces, we can make them longer with extensions. Get yours here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/choose-people-who-lift-you-up-michelle-obama-quote-necklace

Not everyone who is a feminist has boobs, but some of us do! Get this cast bronze or sterling silver boobs necklace here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/anatomy-collection/breast-necklace

Because science is real, and it's blasphemy that we still have to advocate its existence...

Decorate your lapel with this I Believe in Science Enamel Lapel Pin. Soft enamel lapel pin measures approximately 1.25 inches across and has a hard rubber back. Get your I Believe in Science Pin here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/ibelieveinscienceenamelpin

Nevertheless, she persisted... and so will we.

Brass bar measures 1.5 inches long and is hand-stamped with the words NEVERTHELESS SHE PERSISTED in honor of Elizabeth Warren's diligent attempt to read Coretta Scott King's letter in the face of denial. Gold-filled chain measures approximately 18 inches and ends in a spring clasp. Silver necklace is made with a polished aluminum bar and a sterling silver chain with lobster clasp. This Nevertheless She Persisted necklace is also available with a dainty 1.25-inch bar on an 18-inch chain. Get your Nevertheless She Persisted Necklace here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/neverthelessshepersistednecklace

Because the patriarchy has you sharpening your claws…

Scratch the Patriarchy feminist enamel lapel pin measures 1.25 inches and is soft enamel, which means it’s hard to the touch, but you can feel the details. Metal is gold tone and clutch on back is hard rubber. Show your fierce feminism with this badge. Get your Scratch the Patriarchy pin here: https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/scratchthepatriarchypin