Classic charms The charm bracelet is truly a classic, a must-have for every jewelry box. In these versions, the dark tones of base metal chain make the perfect palette for colorful enameled charms. – Jackie Boettcher
Earring optionsHang mismatched charms
from a bit of leftover chain
as in steps 3 and 4 of the
bracelet. Or, pick just one
theme from your bracelet
(perhaps eco-awareness)
to make earrings.
Charm bracelets represent “a few of your favorite things,” so pick charms as eclectic and
eccentric as you!
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©2009 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.
Supply List• 5–6 9–20 mm charms• 3–4 6–8 mm round beads• 7–8 in. (18–20 cm) chain,
16–17 mm links• 7–8 in. (18–20 cm) chain,
13–14 mm links• 8–10 2-in. (5 cm) head pins• 1–3 14 mm jump rings• 6–7 mm jump ring• 15–17 mm lobster claw clasp• chainnose and roundnose pliers• diagonal wire cutters
Charms from Fire Mountain Gems and Beads, firemountaingems.com. Chain from Michaels, michaels.com for store locations. Check your local bead store for supplies.
Tip
Charms can come from just about anywhere. Salvage them from broken jewelry or mate-less earrings, or buy clearance or thrift-store jewelry with charms you can remove. You can also make your own charms by drilling found objects and coins.
1Decide how long you want your bracelet to be and cut two pieces of
chain to that length. On a head pin, string a 6–8 mm round bead. With the largest part of your roundnose pliers, make the first half of a wrapped loop (Basics). Make three or four round-bead units.
2 About 1 in. (2.5 cm) from the ends of the chains, attach a round-bead unit to a corresponding link on each chain. Complete the wraps. Attach the remaining
round-bead units as desired.
3 Trim the head from a head pin and string a charm and an optional 14 mm jump ring. Make a set of wraps above the charm as for a top-drilled bead (Basics). Make the
first half of a wrapped loop. Make five or six charm units.
4 Attach the charm units to the large-link chain as desired. Complete the wraps.
5 Open a 6–7 mm jump ring (Basics) and attach an end link of each chain and
a lobster claw clasp. Close the jump ring. Attach a 14 mm jump ring to the other end of the chains. o