Bangle Bracelet
Materials:
Bangle Noodles (Gold-filled or Sterling Silver)
1 ft. of 20-gauge ½ hard wire (Gold-filled or Sterling Silver)
5mm Beads (Gold-filled or Sterling Silver)
1 Large Focal Bead
Accent Beads
Medium Lobster Claw
Round Nose Pliers
Chain Nose Pliers
Wire Cutters
Warning: While working with any kind of wire protective eyewear, (glasses, goggles) should always be used.
Tip: Mark your round nose pliers with a sharpie pen at ¼” to 3/8” from the tip of pliers. This will keep the size of your loops consistent. Check the holes on the beads to make sure that the beads fit on the wire. Below is a picture of materials used for a bangle bracelet. Noodles measure 1 3/8” each. Use a cloth tape measure to measure the wrist size. Remember 2 ¾” is already used for the noodles.
Design with focal bead should not be wider than your wrist. Remember you want the noodles to encircle your wrist. A 5mm bead (or its equivalent) should be used in each end of the noodle.
Step 1. Cut a piece of wire that is 12” long. Bend your wire slightly on the ends with your chain nose pliers.
Step 2. Place your focal bead on the wire first, then other beads on both sides of focal bead. Use just enough beads on the wire so they will lie on the top of your wrist. You want to have a 5mm bead or equivalent placed on the end of the accent beads. The 5mm beads plug the noodles.
Step 3. Now place your noodle beads on the wire and a 5mm bead on both sides of noodles. Add the rest of your beads for the back of bracelet on both sides.
Step 4. Now grip the wire with your chain nose pliers, leaving about 1 ½” from the end.
Step 5. Then make a 90° (degree) bend in the wire using your finger to bend the wire.
Step 6. Now remove your chain nose pliers and pick up your round nose pliers. Place your round nose pliers right at the 90° (degree) bend that you made, holding the bangle so that the longer piece of wire is pointing towards you.
Step 7. With your finger form the wire over the top of the round nose pliers making a half loop. Then gently push down on the tail end of the wire with your finger, making a half loop.
Step 8. Now remove your round nose pliers and place the bottom section of the round nose into the half loop. Grab the tail of the wire and finish pulling it around your pliers forming a complete loop.
Step 9. Now remove the round nose pliers from the loop and add your lobster claw. You want to place the lobster on the wire with the latch (piece that opens the lobster claw) facing towards the wire. Then just slip the lobster claw on the wire and around the loop. Your lobster claw latch is pointing up.
Step 10. Now place your chain nose pliers on the loop and start your wrapping using your finger to pull the tail of the wire to wrap around the stem wire. You should get 3 wraps. Do not cut excess wire.
Step 11. Now after the first side is completed push the end beads on the other side snug up against the noodle with your fingers.
Step 12. Take your chain nose pliers and place them right up against the last bead placed on the other side.
Step 13. Repeat step 5,6,7,8 and 10 * you will skip step 9 * . You should have equal wraps to both sides. You will not add anything to the loop. This loop is made for the lobster claw to connect into. If your loop is in the same position as the lobster claw loop just take your chain nose pliers and grasp the loop and turn it so it is laying flat.
Step 14. Now cut your excess wire as close to the end bead of each side as possible. If you have a crimping tool you can use it to crimp down on the wire that has been cut. If you don't have a crimping tool then use your chain nose pliers to smash down the excess wire after it has been cut. Be careful when doing this with chain nose pliers. You don't want to smash your end bead. This is called tweaking the wire.
Step 15. Now clasp the bracelet and shape it into an oval like your wrist. If you choose to use freshwater pearls the hole of the pearl has to be drilled to make the hole larger to fit on 20-gauge wire. Beads of choice are, glass beads, semi-precious with large holes, lamp work beads. Please make sure you check your hole of the beads to make sure they fit the wire.
Note: It takes practice for wrapping wire. You can purchase non precious metal wire (usually it is dead soft wire) for practicing your wrapping until you get comfortable with wrapping. Never use dead soft wire for bangle bracelets.
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Things we learned the hard way:
Do not place glass beads next to each other on the bangle bracelet. The glass rubbing against each other causes friction resulting in the glass shattering.
Do not place crystals or glass beads on the backsides of the bangle. When you are working at a desk your wrist will come down on the desk, causing the crystals or glass beads to break.
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