It might seem like an odd or silly question to those of us who’ve made many bracelets before. However “How many beads do you need to make a bracelet?” is something we get asked a lot in the shop. Usually by people who love the idea of creating their own jewellery but don’t know where to start. And almost every answer to that question starts with; “Well that depends on….”
So I thought I’d highlight a few things that you need to know and to bear in mind so that you’ll know exactly how many bead you need to make a bracelets.
What to consider
Size of your/the wrist
Fit of the bracelet
Size of the beads you’re using
Size of the clasp (if required)
Wrist Size
The average wrist size in the UK 16.5cm – 18.4cm (6.5’’ & 7.25’’) which I don’t think is particularly helpful, there will be plenty of people that don’t fit into this narrow range. Including my own at 14cm. Having taught many workshops over the years – I can assure you there are many different size wrists out there. Knowing the size beforehand will be very helpful, however there are a few tips I’ll share for making this easier.
If you’re making yourself a bracelet, that’s a lot easier. You can measure your own wrist and even try on your bracelet as you’re making it. You can easily measure your wrist with a tape measure, though if you don’t have one, you can take any piece of string, or ribbon and wrap that around your wrist and then measure against a flat ruler.
Getting a good fit
Allow extra space; if you measured your wrist at 17cm (for example) and then made a bracelet exactly 17cm long, you’ll probably find that it won’t actually fit, it’ll be too small, because of the curve of the bracelet. The size of the beads used will also effect this (the bigger the bead used the more space your need to allow). For example, a bracelet made of 10mm beads will sit 5mm away from your actual wrist, a bracelet made of small seed beads might only be a millimetre away from your wrist.
You probably don’t want to be wearing your bracelet skin tight anyway. So this is also something you need to consider. If you’re able to try on your bracelet as you go this will help. Do you like a snug fit, or a loose fit? Personally, I like my bracelets to move around my wrist freely, but not to fall down on to my hand. If you’re not sure about how you want a bracelet to fit, measuring a bracelet you already have that fits the way you like will definitely help.
Making bracelets for others can be tricky, if you’re able to, measure their wrist or a bracelet they have to give you an idea of size. If you’re making a bracelet as a gift and therefore don’t want to let the cat out of the bag. You can try and gauge it by eye or ask one of their family members to measure a bracelet for you. However this isn’t always easy and where using the average sizes can be helpful (this also applies for making bracelets to sell). This can also be where extension chains come in very handy (see the tip below).
Top Tip
It is almost always easier to make a finished bracelet a little longer than it is to make it shorter. You can add an extension chain or a small link to a bracelet and even make a feature of it, if your bracelet has ended up much too small. Sometimes all that’s needed is an extra jump ring and it makes all the difference to fitting right. However dependant on how you have made your bracelet, to make it overall shorter you may end up having to re-make the whole thing again!
Bead Size
Getting the right amount of beads, I would always try and pick the bead (or beads) you’d like to use first. If your beads are consistent sizes, for example a 6mm Rose Quartz bracelet, for a wrist 17cm long. You can work out that you’d need approximately 31 beads;
Total bracelet length in mm = 170mm
Bead size = 6mm
170/6 = 28.33 (so round that up to 29 beads, I would also add at least 2 beads to account for the distance the would sit away from the wrist). Which makes 31 beads (the is assuming your beads are threaded in elastic with no clasp).
If your collection of beads is a pattern of different beads, you can apply the same idea, if you’re alternating a 4mm and 6mm bead (the pattern repeat is 10mm) so you would need 17 of each bead (170mm/10mm) though you’re likely to want to add another of each bead for a good fit. If you aren’t using uniform beads, or are going for a complete mix of beads you can line your beads up along a ruler. Or use a tool like our bead board or bracelet board which holds the beads in place as you create your designs.
Bracelets with a clasp
Not all bracelets suit being on elastic, although that’s a great way to start making your own. If you are using a flexible beading wire or nylon thread with a necklace end or wire guardian at the end. I always recommend attaching your end and clasp to your wire first, before stringing your beads. This allows you to measure the space taken up by the clasp before working out your bead requirement. Also bear in mind the length required to complete the clasp at the other end of your bracelet. This is a pitfall I see many people in workshops fall into and it’s not always that it hasn’t been taken into consideration, it’s more often underestimated how much space is needed which can lead to a bracelet that’s’ too long. Measuring will help get your sizing much more accurate.
We hope you have found this helpful and a good starting point as well as answering “How many beads do you need to make a bracelet”.
For help with how to make a bracelet we have a really useful video which you can view here.
We have several other helpful videos and fun projects on our YouTube channel.
We also host several workshops perfect for starting your jewellery making journey. You can see all our workshops here.