How to Make a Personalized Beaded Bracelet

Use letter beads to personalize a bracelet.

One of the benefits of making your own jewelry is that you can personalize it to match your unique fashion sense or spell out something that is significant to you. If you need easy gifts for friends, make them personalized beaded bracelets as well, using their interests instead of yours. The final look of the bracelet depends entirely on the type of beads you choose to put on it or the words that you spell out with letter beads.

Things You'll Need

• Jewelry wire
• Wire cutters
• Crimp beads
• Jewelry clasp
• Crimp pliers
• Plain beads
• Letter beads
• Symbol beads

Instructions

1. Cut a piece of jewelry wire to a length about 2 inches longer than the desired length of the bracelet.

2. Slip one end of the wire through a crimp bead, through the end of one-half of your jewelry clasp and back through the crimp bead. Move the bead so it is as close to the clasp as you can get it without touching.

3. Position your crimp pliers over the crimp bead and squeeze firmly to close the bead over the wire.

4. Thread your basic beads onto the wire, positioning the first few so they go over the loose end of wire sticking out of your crimp bead.

5. Add personalized beads wherever you want them. These might be beads depicting hobbies, like a round bead colored to look like a soccer ball or tennis ball, or a bead with a picture of an animal on it.

6. Add letter beads to spell a word or a name to further personalize the bracelet. Use a small seed bead as a spacer between each letter.

7. Continue adding beads to the wire until it reaches the correct length. Test this by putting it around your wrist or the wrist of the person you are making it for. If the last bead touches the clasp when you pull it tightly, it is ready for the closure, which will add enough length to make it comfortably loose.

8. Put a crimp bead on the end and thread the wire through the other half of the jewelry closure.

9. Cut the wire so you have an inch or less remaining before threading it back through the crimp bead and hiding the end of the wire in the beads on the bracelet.

10. Check that the beads have enough room to move a little bit. They should be able to spin around on the wire. If needed, move the crimp bead and closure further out. When it is positioned correctly, crimp the bead shut with the pliers.

Tips & Warnings

• For an easier project for children, make the bracelet on elastic cord and tie it closed instead of using the jewelry closure and crimp beads.

• Use coils of craft wire to make a long bracelet that wraps around the wrist multiple times. Because the craft wire holds its shape, you don't need a closure for this type of bracelet.