How to Make Handmade Good Luck Bracelets
Good luck bracelets come in many styles, but a bracelet with lucky charms, such as a four-leaf clover, pieces of jade or religious symbols, is traditional. According to Frank Hague, a writer for jewelry-making.com, charm bracelets date back to 500 B.C. when they were used by Babylonians and Persians. When making your own charm bracelets, select charms that suit your own beliefs and complement the metals and colors.
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Things You'll Need
- Stainless steel chain
- 6 to 12 charms
- 2 pairs of smooth-nosed jewelry pliers
- Stainless steel lobster clasp
- Stainless steel jump rings
Instructions
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Buy a chain that is 18 inches long. Choose a chain that has wide links and is made from sterling silver, gold or stainless steel. Other metals are available but these are the common choices. Wrap the chain around your wrist to measure how long the bracelet should be. Use chain with enough links that it's comfortable and won't slip off.
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Open a jump ring by holding it with one set of jewelry pliers and grasp the far side with the other set of pliers. Rotate your dominant hand to open the ring. Never pull rings open or they will become misshapen and won't close properly.
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Slide one end of the chain onto the jump ring and the lobster clasp. Close the jump ring by bending the ring back together until it makes a clicking sound.
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Open another jump ring and slide a charm onto it. Hook the jump ring through one loop in the chain and close it. Repeat every inch down the entire chain until it is covered by jump rings with charms.
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Close the chain by hooking the lobster clasp to the far end of the chain. Add a jump ring to the end of the chain if the link is too small for the clasp to hook.
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References
- magnolia-silver.com: Hand Made Bracelets for Luck
- Western Michigan University; How to Make Jewelry with Beads -- Charms
- Northern Virginia Folklife Archive: Charm Bracelets -- Objects of Memory; Chrystal Pruitt; 2005
- Jewelry-Making.com; History of Charm Bracelets; Frank Hague
- Marilyn Gardiner: Japanese Flower Earrings
- Photo Credit Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images
