HRH Replica Bracelet DIY Part 1
So I was going to buy a few of Alex’s bracelets, until I did a bit of digging and realized that I could probably make one myself. I’ve never really made a piece of jewellery before, but what did I have to lose?
The bracelets turned out pretty good, the only difference I see between mine and Alex’s is that the chain I used is a little bit different. Michaels carries a lot of chains that are closer to Alex’s. The Michaels is quite a drive for me, so I chose to order online.
Materials (For ONE bracelet):
www.dreamtimecreations.com
-Swarovski Element Pear 4320 in 18 x 13 mm Size (Crystal AB and Silver Night are shown in the photos)
-Swarovski 4320S Sew On Setting for Fancy Rhinestone in Silver 18 x 13mm
-6.75mm Imitation Rhodium Plated Steel Curb Chain (Bought in 6 inch lengths, which is enough for 1 bracelet)
-27x17mm Silver Plated Brass Lobster Claw Clasp
-20 gauge Silver Plated Brass 1 inch Eye Pin
-8mm Silver Plated Base Metal 20 Gauge Open Jump Ring (x2)
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-Two Pairs of Needle Nose Pilers
1. Lay out all materials required. I am using a pair of jewellery making pliers and regular pliers. The difference between the pliers is that the jewellery making pliers are flat on the inside, so they won’t scratch. They are about $6 CAD at Wal-Mart.
2. Lay the crystal in the setting
3. Using the end of the pliers, press down on the prongs to hold the crystal in place. If you have strong fingernails you can push them down that way as well.
4. The crystal should be firmly in it’s setting now
5. Take your chain, and attach a jump ring to the end of it. You can use your pliers to open the ring to make it easier.
6. Wrap the chain around your wrist to make an estimate on how long to make your bracelet. Keep in mind, that if you are using a large lobster clasp it will add to the length of the bracelet
7. Remove any additional links by placing both pliers in the chain and pulling the chain apart. This is a bit tricky, I found twisting the pliers in opposite directions helped “pull” the link open. This is probably the only difficult step in the whole process, and takes some practice.
8. Wrap the chain around your wrist, to make sure you have the right size. Now you need to divide the chain in two, to make room for the crystal. Its best to have an odd number of links. I had 11 links on each side. You may need to remove links one by one, to get the proper fit.
9. Attach the lobster clasp to the other section of chain, using a jump ring. You can use the pliers to open the ring up.
10. Take the eye pin and open up the existing loop using pliers. If you have a bead store nearby and are planing to make a few bracelets, I would suggest buying a loop of jewellery wire instead. Try to straighten out the pin as much as possible using the jewlerly pliers.
