Making Your Own Unique Bracelets

The best part about making bracelets is the fact that you can design your bracelet to look exactly how you want it to look, perfectly matching it to your wardrobe and your personal style. Bracelets are both fun and easy to make. Once you've made one bracelet, you'll never buy one again.

The two most common ways to make bracelets are with wire or elastic string. Wire is a little trickier with which to work, but is more structured than bracelets made with elastic string. To determine which kind of bracelet you wish to make, decide if you want the bracelet to be stretchy or sturdy. You may want to invest in a roll of high quality elastic and another of wire. You'll want to buy a thick but translucent elastic string and a 24-gauge wire. If you are planning to use small beads, you can go for a slightly thinner gauge.

Next take yourself to the local bead shop. You'll be amazed at the variety of beads, spacers and polished stones available to you. You can find beads made from a myriad of materials-wood, glass, paper or stone, to name just a few. You'll want to buy beads in a variety of colors, textures and materials so you can mix and match to create your perfect bracelet. Most people need seven inches of beads to cover their wrists adequately, so bring along a ruler, line up the beads in the bottom of your bead bin and measure to make sure you've purchased at least seven inches worth of beads. Make sure you also pick up plenty of spacers and invest in a pair of wire cutters and a pair of needle nose pliers if you have decided to try making your bracelet with wire.

Elastic bracelets are the easiest to make. Simply tie a knot in your string or thread the string through the first bead and knot the string around the bead, then string the rest of your beads and spacers on the thread, then tie the ends together securely when you are finished. Make sure you pack the string with enough beads that you don't get big gaps when the bracelet is on your wrist.

Wire bracelets require more skill. You'll need to play around with the wire and pliers to learn how to knot the beads on securely. Use the pliers to bend the wire into circles or twist the wire around beads as is appropriate. Always make sure to position loose ends of the wire such that they will tuck under a bead or spacer or tuck into a clasp so you won't scratch yourself when wearing your bracelet.