How to Make Bracelets for Beginners
Making your own jewelry and accessories allows you the ability to experiment with an endless variety of media in your crafts. A creative and personal endeavor, making jewelry as a beginner takes practice. Bracelets, because they are small, are ideal practice for novice jewelry hobbyists.
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Instructions
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Choose a variety of materials to construct bracelets. Materials include elastic, hemp, wire and twine jewelry cord, assorted beads of plastic, glass, metal and semi-precious stones and a variety of fittings such as lobster claw clasps, toggle clasps and crimping beads.
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Measure the circumference of your wrist. Most bracelets range between 7 1/2 and 8 inches long. Allow a couple of extra inches when cutting the stringing material so you can easily tie on the fittings.
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Lay out your beads in different combinations until you find a pattern that you like.
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Tie one end of a clear elastic jewelry cord to a jewelry fitting, such as a lobster clasp. Make sure to double, or even triple knot the cord to make sure it doesn't slip apart.
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Slide on as the beads, working from one end of your pattern to the other until you have filled all but 1 1/2 inches of the cord.
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Tie the other end of the elastic cord to the opposite end of the jewelry fitting. Double or triple knot it as you did the other end. Trim off any excess cord. This results in a loose, yet slightly springy bead bracelet.
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Tips & Warnings
Experiment with crimping beads to separate large beads to create interesting bracelet styles.
To create a more secure knot, either add a dab of glue to the knot, or after threading your cord through the clasp, thread it back through the last bead on the bracelet and make a surgeon's knot between the beads.
