Basic Bracelet Instructions
There are plenty of detailed instructions in books and magazines but sometimes you need a basic reminder of something you’ve read.
Hopefully this page will give you some reminders to get you started.
1. Design
Be sure you have an idea how
long your design really is. You
probably don’t want to have a bracelet that will only fit a toddler or one
sized for a large man.
2. Construction
Cut a piece of beading wire 2
- 3 inches longer than your planned bracelet.
Start on one end to assemble
the clasp as follows.
Crimp bead: Clasp: Back through Crimp bead:
Crimp:
Using crimping pliers or
needle nose pliers put a crease between the two pieces of wire.
If using crimping pliers do
this in the section that looks like a compressed B. (~This is the section
closest to your hand on the pliers I have used.)
Next turn this compressed
section ¼ turn and insert it in the front section of the crimping pliers. Press to form into a V. (Picture mostly shows which part of the tool
to use.)
Compress in the front groove: Finished:
String your remaining design
and repeat clasp construction for the opposite end.
Tips and pointers
Depending on the beads you choose your bracelet may need to
be longer than the person typically wears.
Also depending on the beads you choose there may need to be
some empty space in the design when it lays flat. Many styles drape easier around the arm if
there is some room for the beads to move.
Some of this is personal preference, but in some cases the piece won’t
bend if it is too tightly strung.
French wire is an option to cover the beading wire. It is basically a tiny spring you cut to
length. Then construct as follows. Crimp bead, French wire, clasp end (which
will go over the French wire), back through the crimp bead. This was hard for me to photograph as it
looked much like regular construction in my pictures.
Your crimp bead will hold best if you are able to crimp it without
crossing the wires inside the tube. In
other words, keep your wire shaped as a U with the crimp bead over the wires.
Crimp between the wires. Ideally keep one
wire in one side of the compressed B and one on the other. Then when you form the fold or the V you keep
one wire in the one section and the other wire held in the opposite section.
Another tip that is of interest is stringing your crimp bead, a decorative bead, your clasp, back through the decorative bead and then the crimp bead again. Some instructions suggest this as a way to avoid wear and tear on your wire. I’ve not seen this as a rule from the wire companies, usually other artists. I do this on occasion. One problem is the larger beads may slide back over the crimp. This isn’t so much of a problem if the large hole bead is between the crimp and the clasp. It creates the look of a gap if that same bead is on the other side of the crimp, sliding towards the clasp.