I love the stacked bracelet look, but an armful of store-bought bangles is a pretty pricey arm. In search of DIY inspiration, I paid a visit to M&J Trimming in Manhattan’s jewelry district. They carry every bead, chain, and clasp in every size, shape, and color you could imagine. Talk about overwhelming (in a good way).
This criss-cross chain bracelet is a simple beginner project and costs less than $10 to make. Here we go…
You’ll need:
- Two pieces of chain from a jewelry or craft supply store – I used both gold and silver. They should be just long enough to fit around your wrist.
- Lobster clasp and rings
- Two pieces of embroidery thread, each roughly 24 inches long
- Pliers
- Super glue (optional but helpful)
Begin by placing the two chains next to each other on a flat surface. Using one piece of embroidery thread, tie a knot to secure the thread to the end of both chains. I found it helpful to tape the thread tail down to the table to keep the chains flat.
Next, lace the inner edges of the two chains together with the thread, pulling tightly as you go. Connect the chains on a slight diagonal, so the second link in the silver chain connects to the first link in the gold chain, followed by the third link in the silver chain connecting to the second link in the gold chain, etc.
Continue lacing the chains together until you reach the end, and then tie a secure knot.
Tie the second piece of thread onto the beginning of the chains.
To make criss-crossing stitches with the second piece of thread, you will work in the same way that you did with the first piece of thread, but rather than threading from the silver chain to the gold chain, make your stitches in reverse from the gold chain to the silver chain. The second gold link ties to the first silver link, the third gold link to the second silver link, etc. The stitches will make small Xs.
Finish weaving the second color through the chains and tie a secure knot. Snip any remaining thread tails. I put a dot of Super Glue on each knot to make sure they would stay in place.
(back of the bracelet)
Use pliers to attach rings and a lobster clasp to the ends of the bracelet. You could also leave longer tails of embroidery thread off both ends and simply tie the bracelet with a bow.
Chain bracelets like this retail for at least $20 or more in most shops, so it’s pretty fun to make a DIY version that looks just as good!
L to R: DIY, today’s DIY, DIY, BaubleBar. Nail polish is Nails Inc. The Thames plus Color Club Platinum Record.
Have you tried your hand at DIY jewelry? Let me know in the comments!
