So how hard is it to string a beaded bracelet? It isn’t that difficult if you have the right tools and materials at your disposal. Why then don’t more people make their own jewelry? Why do people pay so much for a bracelet that is already made?
First of all, you have to have the desire to make jewelry. If you are reading this post, you have at least a small interest. : ) Then, you have to have the right tools. Jewelry making tools can be expensive, especially if you are going to make just 1 bracelet. At a minimum, you need jewelry crimping pliers and wire cutters. Jewelry beading wire comes in 10 ft, 30 ft or 100 ft spools and if you are only making 1 or 2 bracelets, it is a waste of money to buy what you don’t need. Finally, in most cases, you have to buy more beads than necessary because bead stores sell them in packages. Beaded Royalty has addressed some of these issues by offering bracelet kits. These kits include the wire, bead crimps, and beads needed to make the pictured bracelet.
Here are the steps to stringing a beaded bracelet:
- Place the beads you want to use on a beading board or beading mat to keep them from rolling off the table.
- Lay the key beads (letter beads, crystals, Bali beads) in the order you would like them to appear. Use spacers and shiny silver beads to fill in the extra spaces. The rule of thumb for the beaded portion of the bracelet (not including the crimps) is 1″ shorter than you would like the final bracelet. Here is a guide for determining final bracelet length.
- Cut the wire. The rule of thumb for wire length is 2″ longer than the finished bracelet. It gives you a bit of extra at the ends so the beads don’t fall off while you are crimping the first end.
- String the beads on the beading wire and measure the length using a 12″ ruler. Get as close as possible to 1″ shorter than the final length.
- Add 1 crimp bead on each end. Follow the instructions for crimping a bracelet.
- It is a trial and error process – with time, you will be able to do it on sight. Be patient with yourself!
