How to Size a Bracelet
Figuring out how to size a bracelet… You’d think it would be pretty straightforward. It wasn’t for me. For me sizing a bracelet used to be one of the most frustrating endeavors!
Here I was. Making many many bracelets. Even though I sized many many bracelets wrongly and had to take them apart and restring them, it didn’t occur to me that I was doing it wrong. I doggedly persisted in making bracelets and taking them apart. I was clueless.
Did I spend way too much time measuring and still not getting it right? Yes, I did. Did I not wonder what the heck I was doing wrong? Honestly, it was so long ago I can’t remember. It seems so silly now that I wonder whether I had a head injury. Probably it was just one of those things – you don’t know what you don’t know.
I’d like to say that one day I just had an epiphany and invented this bracelet sizing tool but I didn’t. One day I was at a store and saw a very simple looking tool for sizing bracelets.
I thought I can make one of those! I probably should have just bought one because making one turned out to be a lot more painstaking than I expected!
To make this DIY bracelet sizer I formed a cone out of an old file folder and carefully measured small to average to larger wrist sizing sizes in quarter inch increments. Then I placed a newly-restrung-but-not-yet-crimped bracelet onto the cone and adjusted the sizing until it was perfect. Then I crimped the crimps tight.
I tried on the bracelet. I took a deep breath. The moment of truth! G
Guess what happened? I finally got it right!
I am unashamed to say I was so darn happy I danced a little jig. Well, more of a lurch to music, but dancing a jig sound SO much better.
And now I share it with you. It ain’t pretty but it works. I’m pretty sure I’m not breaking any patent laws by publishing it because, well, it’s darn ugly so I doubt anyone wants to own up to thinking it up first 🙂
The bracelet sizer template you see in the video is a PDF download. You can download it here Bracelet Sizer PDF** ( 2.65 MB)
To download this file, right-click and choose “save as”
To open it, find the file on your hard drive and double click on it.
Using the Bracelet Sizer – How to Size a Bracelet (video)
To learn how to make the bracelet size tool and how to use it, watch the video here:
Bracelet Sizing Tips
These pages will help you with sizing your bracelets too: