How to Make a Beaded Bracelet

Hey guys, Erin here with Lackore Couture, and today I'm going to teach you how to make a beaded bracelet. With just a few materials, you can create a gorgeous bracelet that may be fun, funky, or elegant - depending on the beads you use. These bracelets are easy and fun to make, and they make great gifts for other adults or even children.  

Related: Step-by-Step DIY Bracelets for Guys (& Boyfriends) 

Materials

So, today I will be teaching you how to make a beaded bracelet. Now there are a few things you'll need to get started. 

Alt-text: Someone holding a reel of stretchy string.  Image Source

• Elastic String: The first thing I recommend is our Stretch Magic String. This elastic string is by far my favorite! It's super durable, and I've been using this for years. The width is 0.7 mm.

• Beads: Then you'll need a bunch of beads. You can buy these from anywhere that sells craft items - Walmart, Michael's, or Joann's. They can be super inexpensive to very, very expensive gemstones. It really just depends on what you're looking for. 

• Bead Board: Something else that's important - you will also want to have a bead board. This will help you determine the size of your bracelet and help you with measuring. A standard-sized wrist is seven inches long, so on the board, the zero is the center point, and you're going to go to three and a half on each side. That's going to be about a seven-inch wrist. 

If your wrist is a little larger, I would recommend going four to four (on the bead 

board), which would work well for an eight-inch wrist.

• Scissors: A pair of scissors to cut your string.

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Steps to Making a Beaded Bracelet

1. Cut about a foot (12 inches) of string, and tie a little knot (or two) at the end of your string to keep from losing any beads while you're stringing.

Now to help your bracelet's elasticity, give it a good stretch before you start beading. It will help when you wear it, giving it a little more stretch.

2. Now take that knot side down, and you're going to hold onto the other end of your string - but before you do that, you need to put it aside. 

3. Before you start beading, lay out your beads and make the pattern you want on the board. The zero on the board will indicate the part of the bracelet that will rest on the top of your wrist. It's good to know where this center place is, in case you want a pendant or a word on your bracelet.   

The zero on the bead board shows where the part of the bracelet will sit on the top of your wrist. This is in case you want to add a pendant or a word to the center of your bracelet. 

Here again, I'll just mention that you can find affordable beads from Walmart, Michael's, Joanne's, and Hobby Lobby. The strands can range from just $1.99 all the way up to $10. Obviously, for my jewelry brand, I use high-end materials that I get from wholesalers, but if you're doing this as a hobby or just making gifts for friends or family, you can find many inexpensive options - and there are always coupons available to make them even more affordable. 

4. Your bracelet beads are laid out; now, you can take that elastic you put aside earlier and take up the unknotted end. 

Related:  How To Make Beaded Jewelry 101: Beginner's Guide

The Beading

5. You can now string your beads from left to right, or you can do it from right to left - whatever works best for you. The knot at the end will catch the beads as you continue to thread them on the elastic string one at a time. You should soon be able to see your pattern taking shape on the string. 

6. This part is important; if you're putting a name or word in the middle of your bracelet, you want to ensure that each letter is facing the correct way. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people put the letters upside down, and it's so frustrating because they've already strung their bracelets. So make sure that when you put the letter or design beads on your string, they're all facing the correct way - upright and towards the right.

7. Now that everything is correctly lined up, just continue with the remainder of your beads. Then you're ready to finish it off. 

The Knot

8. Finally, the hard part is done. As you're finishing off your bracelet, consider whether or not you care if the knot is seen. Some people don't mind at all, while others are quite particular. So, if you want to hide your knot, find a bead that has a larger hole - we call this a bail. If you search through your bead collection, you'll probably find something like a little pony bead that has a larger hole.

Alt-text: A person holding a nearly finished beaded bracelet with a large bead to hide the knot.  Image Source

9. Now take your two strands of elastic string and move the beads towards the middle, hanging like a smiley face. Next, make a knot by putting one piece of string over the other (like a shoelace knot).   

10. You're going to work the beads down and pull the string tight to get rid of any gap or looseness in the string, then tie another knot.

11. To finish it, you can make one more knot. You can see that your knot is now hidden inside of that larger bail bead. 

12. Lastly, take your scissors and trim the excess string. Now you have a beautiful new beaded bracelet. 

Related: How to Make Beaded Wrap Bracelets (Simple & Easy)

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, this helped you guys learn how to make a beaded bracelet. If you want to learn more, please check out our YouTube channel and, of course, visit our website to see our gorgeous jewelry pieces. 

Do you want jewelry that makes you the center of attention? Check out LaCkore Couture, the world's most trendy and fashion-forward jewelry brand!