Do you every find yourself other people's shopping carts to see what they got? And then, get inspired and buy the same item from the store. I did find myself doing that while shopping at a bead store yesterday. I spotted these silver bangle bracelets in someone else's bead tray and then next thing I did was to buy several of them...
Today, I am going to show you how to make these sparkling bangle bracelets. If you are still looking for gift/s for Christmas or new years, you can try to make them. They are very simple and once you learn the technique, it is very easy to apply to make other jewelry.
You will need a strand of beads of your choice, wire (26 or 24 gauge works great), a bangle and cutters. The beads I choose are faceted quartz gemstones in different shades of black. The faceted beads creates lots of sparkles and light... If you decide to make one of these bracelets, I highly recommend using faceted beads rather than smooth beads.
Begin with cutting a long piece of wire that should be enough to cover the entire bracelet. Hold the bracelet and 1 inch of the wire in one hand. Secondly, lay the wire over the flat surface of the bracelet and start anchoring the wire by bringing the wire behind the bangle and pull it up through the middle of the bangle.
Next, string a single bead onto the wire and bring the wire over the top of the bracelet. The bead should be resting on the outer edge. Holding the bead in place, bring the wire down behind the bangle and back through the middle. Between each bead, wrap a single round of wire to create a small space between beads and secure them better onto the bracelet.
Continue the pattern by repeating the steps 3 and 4 until you have completely covered the bangle. Once you are done, wrap the wire around the bracelet three times. Then, cut the end of the wire using the wire cutter.
Optional: Use a drop of glue to help preventing the ends of the wires from snagging.
To create a more dramatic effect, wear these sparkling bracelets together. They are so much fun! You can apply this technique to make
earrings and
necklaces as well using smaller size circles. Try choosing circles with flat surfaces to anchor the beads on. Otherwise, beads will turn inwards and will not be visible.
Hope you enjoyed today's tutorial by A Cup of Sparkle. Always, feel free to
contact me if you have any questions..
