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

Store-bought gifts are all well and good, whether for important holidays and relationship milestones or as a just-because gift that will let someone important to you know that they’re always on your mind and in your heart. That said, sometimes buying a gift just isn’t always personal enough to convey how much you care about someone, and jewelry is no exception. When you can’t find the right necklace, ring, or bracelet for your special someone, why not take matters into your own hands to make them something straight from the heart?

In the article below, our highly trained jewelry artisans at LaCkore Couture will explore some of the best DIY bracelets that you can make for your male friend, boyfriend, or another special guy in your life. Follow the step-by-step guides under each section to learn about the materials you’ll need and the different techniques you’ll need to follow to create the perfect bracelet.

Related: Summer Bracelets That Are Perfect For Stacking

1. A Stylized Morse Code Bracelet

Even if you don’t know morse code, you likely understand what it is; a method used to send encoded text characters using sequences of dots and dashes across specific devices. If you want to create a unique bracelet that conveys your affections to a special guy in your life- romantic or platonic- then why not give them a custom morse code bracelet containing a secret message about your feelings?

What You’ll Need

• A message translated to morse code (you can easily make a personalized one using this free morse code translator)
• Embroidery thread 
• Seed beads (4 colors)
• Crimp beads (1 color)
• Larger beads (2mm - 3mm)
• A fine metal wire or beading needle
• Small pliers

Steps to Making a Morse Code Bracelet

1. Once you’ve picked your beads and made your morse code message, you’ll want to make a small loop in your wire by threading it with a crimping bead. Loop the wire into the bead and crimp it down with your pliers to ensure it stays in place. This should leave you with a little loop at the start of your wire that should be big enough to put a thread through later.
2. Next, take your four different colors of beads and separate them by choosing what each color will represent. The first color you select will be the bracelet’s base color, and the second color will separate your letters. The third color will make up the letters themselves, and the fourth color is for the dashes in your message.
3. Carefully thread the beads onto your wire to spell out your morse code message with the needed dots, dashes, and spaces. After each word, separate it from the next one using your chosen base color before starting your next word. 
4. Once your message is done, and you’ve added a finishing base color bead, add another crimping bead to the end of the bracelet and crimp the wire to keep the beads of your message in place. This should leave you with a small hoop on each end of your message in the wire.
5. Take your beading needle or a fine piece of metal wire to thread both ends of the bracelet with two pieces of your embroidery thread. Take the two ends of the thread, and pull them both through opposite sides of a larger bead. This should make the thread act like the drawstring of a pair of sweatpants.
6. Finally, tie a tight knot on each side of the bracelet’s “drawstrings” and clip off the excess thread before pulling it tight to ensure a snug fit.

Related: 5 Ways Bracelets Can Elevate Your Look

2. A Beaded Bracelet Solar System or Charm Chain

This solar system-based bracelet DIY suggestion features two different bracelet options to choose from, depending on the kind of style you would prefer working with or what you think your intended gift recipient might enjoy more. We’ll divide the following instructions into two sections to help make the differences apparent between what’s needed for the two bracelet types. Either way, you’ll end up with a gorgeous piece of jewelry that lets your friend, boyfriend, or family member know that you think the world of them and more! Whichever design you choose, these bracelets can make a perfect gift for any space-loving guy in your life.

Beaded Bracelet

The beaded bracelet is arguably the easier of the two options for people to make, if only because it involves fewer steps than the charm chain below.

What You’ll Need

• A thin leather rope or black thread
• Scissors 
• Bracelet clasps
• Beads that represent the planets directly or are at least the same color

Note: These can be somewhat difficult to find. We recommend trying out these ones from BeadPark, Amazon, or AliExpress. Though this option is more expensive than the other two, we highly recommend the first set offered by BeadPark. 

Their selection features several cool pieces that you can use to make your bracelet even more unique, including a small white bead to represent the moon, a gold ring you can combine with your Saturn bead, and little star beads you can use to decorate your bracelet further! However, you should also consider investing in an additional bead to represent the sun if you want to include that in your design.

Steps to Making a Beaded Solar System Bracelet

1. Take your thin leather rope or black thread and tie a knot at one end to keep the beads from falling off as you’re stringing them. Be sure to leave room on the end to connect one of the bracelet clasps. Alternatively, you can tie on the bracelet clasp right away and use that as a way to secure the beads during the stringing process.
2. Carefully thread the beads in the sequence of the solar system. Using other beads, you can also add the sun, the moon, and other features, like black holes and stars. The order of the beads for the planets (and the moon and sun) should go as:
1. Sun (Optional)
2. Mercury
3. Venus
4. Moon (optional)
5. Earth
6. Mars
7. Jupiter
8. Saturn
9. Uranus
10. Neptune
11. Pluto (technically optional)
3. After stringing all of the beads you want to use, tie another knot to secure them, so they don’t fall off during the final step.
4. Lastly, tie on the second bracelet clasp to finish the project. 

Are you ready to expand your current wardrobe and accessory collection by investing in a few new gorgeous pieces? Our expert jewelry artisans at LaCkore Couture are proud to offer a wide selection of hand-made jewelry at fantastic prices that you’ll have difficulty finding anywhere else!

Charm Chain 

A charm chain of the solar system will be a bit more challenging to put together than the beaded bracelet, but we promise that the results will be worth your extra effort! A charm bracelet also gives you the option to gift your friend, family member, or boyfriend more charms later that they can add to the bracelet whenever they want! At LaCkore Couture, we offer a selection of different charms that would go perfectly within your personally made solar system, including some funky stars and moons.

What You’ll Need

• A ready-made charm bracelet chain or a chain with clasps you can add yourself
• Beads that either represents the planets directly or are at least the same color (again, we highly recommend the set from BeadPark)
• Headpins
• Bead caps (optional) 
• Round-nose and flat-nose pliers
• Wire cutters

Steps to Making a Charm Chain of The Solar System

1. If you’re using a non-pre-made charm chain, take the plain chain and add the clasps to each end using a pair of pliers. Ensure that they’re as secure as possible, so they don’t accidentally slip off during the charm attachment process or when someone is wearing the bracelet later.
2. Take each bead you intend to use (beads representing the sun and moon are optional) and put them onto a headpin.
3. (Optional) Slide a bead cap on top of each of the beads.
4. Use a pair of flat-nose pliers to twist the end of the headpins onto the charm chain. Bue sure to do so in the correct order of the planets (see above)!  
5. Twist the headpins around themselves to create a loop that holds the beads and secures them (and the optional bead cap) in place.
6. Take the wire cutters and remove the excess length on all headpins.

Related: What Jewelry to Give Your Man This 2021 Holiday Season 

3. A Viking-Style Cuff 

Male jewelry has a long and rich history that spans many cultures and bears many significant meanings. For example, Vikings wore jewelry to signify their position in a social hierarchy and identifier of their specific tribe. While your gift of a hand-made Viking-style cuff may not indicate the same things, you can still use it to represent their place in your family, friend group, or relationship, especially if you make a matching bracelet for yourself. At the very least, the cuff will look super cool and is relatively simple to make compared to some of the other DIY bracelets on this list.

What You’ll Need

• An old leather belt
• Shoestring leather
• Two glass or metal beads (8mm - 10mm)
• A leather punch, a drill with a 3/16” bit, a hammer and nail, or a pocket knife (any of these four options should work)

Steps to Making a Viking-style Cuff

1. Measure the belt you’ll use before attempting to cut it. Ideally, the cuff part of the bracelet should fit most of the way around the wrist without covering it entirely or having the ends overlap.
2. Carefully cut the belt to size while ensuring the ends are as straight as possible.
3. Add four holes to the cuff (two on either end of the leather strip) equal in size and spacing. You can use a conventional leather punch if one is available, or you can make do with either a drill, pocket knife, or a hammer and nail. 
4. Using a criss-cross method, take a single piece of your shoestring leather and pull it through the holes in the leather cuff.
5. Attach a single bead to the end of each part of the shoestring leather, and tie a knot behind each of them to keep them in place.
6. The criss-cross method of the shoestring leather should mean that one end of the cuff has the two ends of the string sticking out of the holes with beads, while the other side has a middle section of the shoestring arching from one hole through the other. Take the beaded ends of the shoestring and pull them under the arch on the other side of the cuff to close the bracelet. 
7. Tugging on the beaded ends should tighten the cuff as needed to keep it in place.

Final Factors For You to Consider

Receiving a gift can feel excellent, but there’s nothing quite like the feeling of giving a gift to someone important in your life who deserves a little extra love and appreciation, just for being themselves! Our passionate jewelry experts at LaCkore Couture sincerely hope that the above DIY guides have helped you learn everything you’ll need to know about putting together a unique gift for the remarkable man in your life. Please consider checking out our wide selection of other jewelry resources for even more information. Also, be sure to explore our wide selection of hand-crafted jewelry created by our dedicated artisans. 

Whether you’re looking for a new necklace, bracelet, ring, or a pair of gorgeous earrings, it’s essential to find the perfect balance between jewelry quality and price. At LaCkore Couture, our expertly trained jewelry artisans are proud to provide access to top-quality accessories for amazing deals!