How to Make Rainbow Faith Bead Bracelets

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Things You'll Need

  • 14-inches of round memory wire (.025mm, for a 7-inch wrist)

  • 1 each of 6mm round glass crystal beads in red, orange, yellow, green,blue, white and black

  • 80 3-by-5mm gold-toned (or white or silver) oval glass crystal beads

  • Silver cross or other faith-based charm

  • Wire cutters

  • Round needle-nose pliers

  • Ruler

A rainbow faith bracelet made of crystal beads.
Image Credit: Lindsay Obermeyer

Wearing a rainbow faith bracelets is a way to illustrate your Christian faith. Sometimes referred to as salvation bracelets, the bracelets illustrate Jesus' plan of salvation. The rainbow is mentioned three times in the Bible, and one of the best-known stories is probably the rainbow Noah saw after the great flood. The rainbow was a token from God promising to never again destroy mankind (Genesis: 9:13). The rainbow is only seen during certain conditions, and each color is symbolic.

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Getting Started

Step 1

Measure and cut 14 inches of memory wire. Use the round needle-nose pliers to bend the wire into a loop at one end.

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Step 2

Strand 40 gold-toned glass beads to symbolize the 40 days of the ascension and of Lent. Begin to strand the rainbow beads in place. Add a smaller gold-toned bead in between each rainbow bead. The various colors are symbolized by:

  • White: "Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." (Psalms 51:7)
  • Purple: "Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day." (Luke 16:19)
  • Blue: "...and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself." (Exodus 24:10)
  • Green: "He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters." (Psalms 23:2)
  • Yellow: "God has prepared heaven for us." (Rev. 21:21)
  • Black: "There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, Prisoners in misery and chains." (Psalms 107:10)

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Finish with another 40 gold beads or any number divisible by three -- the sacred number of the trinity.

Add beads that make the transition smooth from one color to the next; for example, add orange in addition to several shades of yellow and pink to blend the red to white.

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Step 3

Finish by bending the wire into a loop with the needle-nose pliers. Add a silver cross or other faith-related charm, such as an angel, a dove or a heart. Add it before you form the wire loop, or open the charm's split ring to attach it to the loop.

Step 4

Make the bracelets for church fundraisers, or use them as a children's project in Sunday School. For children's bracelets, string plastic beads on stretch cord for a snug fit. Memory wire makes a bracelet custom-fit a range of wrist sizes, so it's a good choice when you're making a gift but aren't sure of the recipient's size.

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