The name says it all !

Making a Charm Bracelet – First Choices

A Gold Charm Bracelet

How to make your own charm bracelet, an overview…

Ok well I’ll start with the basics. There are so many different types and varieties of charm bracelet that you could go dizzy just thinking about them. If you want to make your own charm bracelet then its worth having a little think about exactly what it is you’re looking for, the style, the materials (bear in mind that if you want to build up a bracelet with lots of charms, then it could prove quite expensive so its worth taking an opportunity before you begin to think about what you want to use as charms).

Most charm bracelets use a simple bracelet design, either made from a material (hemp is ideal if you want a material charm bracelet) or from metal. Bracelets made from precious metals like silver are not that expensive, and may prove longer lasting. Other ways to get your bracelet are to get a piece of nylon or elastic and add beads to it, hanging the charms in between each bead on the bracelet. Remember if you are using elastic to make your bracelet to ensure it is not too tight as otherwise it could irritate your wrist, and we don’t want that!

Ok, so now you should have a bracelet with no charms on it, think of it as an empty canvas. Its time to choose your charms. Charms can be anything, from gold or sterling silver charms encrusted with diamonds and crystals, to precious stones, to beads, to little figures you have made yourself. I like to see charm bracelets with a splash of colour, either through interesting stones or beads. You can pick up beads online for very little, or from your local art store. Silver, Gold and other designed charms are available at some Highstreet shops (Links of London, Accessorize and a whole pile of others) and vary enormously in price, or are available online (www.thecharmworks.com,www.linksoflondon.com,www.jewelbasket.com etc) and there can be some great deals on ebay (although be aware when buying charms off ebay that they can vary wildly in quality, make sure you buy what you think you are buying!).

There are an almost infinite number of designs of charms, its worth buying those which you feel reflect your character best. Whether that means choosing charms which bring back certain memories, or charms which represent your pet, or even those which remind you of a joke with friends, part of the fun is to gather a collection of charms which is truly personal and that seems to sum you up as an individual.

Some people like to have charm bracelets which are fairly sparse, with only 8 or 9 charms on them. Personally I prefer a charm bracelet which is packed with 17-20 charms. Its important to bear this in mind before you buy your bracelet, as there is no point scrimping on buying a really cheap bracelet made from very thin silver, for example, only to find out that it will only support 8 charms!

Once you have compiled what charms you are going to use, you should work out in what order they should go on the bracelet. I always think that its good to get a variety of sizes, with big charms right next to small ones and so on. Also when deciding what order to put your charms on, remember if you have used initials, or numbers representing a birthday that these are on the right way. I know this sounds obvious, but there is nothing more annoying than putting your charm bracelet together, only to realise that you made a mistake when putting in the initials, and now you have to take it apart and start again!

Now you are ready to attach the charms to your bracelet. Depending on the type of charms you have gone for, methods for this can vary hugely, and I intend to write a short post discussing the different use of clips, rings and hooks which are commonly used, and what in my opinion are the best ones to use. Of course if you are using beads, then commonly these are attached by wire, thread or elasticated thread.

Remember when you do attach your charms to your charm bracelet its important to decide whether you will want to make changes to your charm bracelet in the future, in which case you should make sure that you have attached your charms in a non-permanent manner (e.g. do not use solder).

Charm Bracelets :

www.linksoflondon.com, www.thecharmworks.com, www.jewelbasket.com

Welcome to the Charm Bracelet Blog

Bead charm bracelet

Bead charm bracelet

Welcome to my first post.  Ok so here is the plan, this blog, or whatever its called is about charm bracelets, and each week I plan to post a different article about charms, charm bracelets, and occasionally other jewelry.  I will try to keep all the posts on topic, but I might mix it up a bit, and introduce some stuff about other things I like to talk about.  Having said that, as the title of the blog indicates, its mainly going to be about charm bracelets, why? Because I suffer from a mild charm bracelet obsession!

For the real basics, and I don’t know why you would be on here if you don’t already know, but just incase…what is a charm bracelet?  Essentially it is any bracelet from which you can attach or dangle charms.  Charms can be any object of aesthetic or sentimental beauty, and can be made from pretty much any material.  I have seen people bind stones they have found on the beach with some wire and turn them into charms, just because they liked the pattern on the stone.  Similarly glass, especially glass found on a beach actually (as it has been worn down by the sand to produce a smooth surface) can be made into charms.  Other things might be small trinkets, beads, carved wooden charms (you can even make them out of cork!) and of course, silver and gold charms, as well as the usual rhinestones, crystals, etc that you see.  To put it simply, charm bracelets are fun bracelets with dangly things hanging from them…

Over the posts I will hopefully get a chance to review charms and charm bracelets from different parts of the world, and different shops etc…I will be posting about popular types and styles of charm, and also about how to make various bracelets, from weaving beads to designing your own charms and everything in between.

I would love any feedback, and once I’ve worked out how to get a website running properly I would encourage all lovers of charms and charm bracelets to get in touch with me, whether it is for clarification about anything I’ve written, suggestions for future posts, questions about charm bracelets, or even photos of your own charm bracelet designs etc…