The humble stacking bracelet recipe

Measure your wrist – Wrap a thin strip of paper around your wrist and measure your wrist for size, then add a couple of extra centimetres so you’ve got room to roll on and off. I sell three sizes of stretch bracelets at www.OhSoCherished.co.uk, a small 17cm, a standard at 19cm and a large at 21cm just to give you an idea.

The number one reason stretch bracelets snap is due to low quality, cheap elastic 😬 sorry, but it’s true!

When someone buys one of my pieces on my website, I just need it to last, not just look pretty for one day. Long-term success depends on durability. Reliable construction means fewer breakages and happier customers if you make for a living. After years of testing many, many brands, I now only ever use Beadalon Elasticity Elastic, the best elastic cord for bracelets – it’s super strong, stretchy, and feels like a rubber band.

My go-to size is 1mm thick (depending on the bead hole size of course). I cut a length of elastic of around 25cm per bracelet, leaving that extra bit for a neat, secure knot.

👉 Here’s the Beadalon Elasticity I use. You can pick this up at most good craft stores or on Amazon, why not give it a try for yourself with this small 5 metre roll, you’ll really notice a difference.

REMEMBER: Elastic doesn’t last forever. After a bit of wear, it starts to relax, or loses its bounce, and that once-snug fit becomes a bit…floppy.

One of the best little tricks I’ve learned over the years is to pre-stretch your elastic before you start beading. Just hold each end of the cord and give it a good firm tug a few times – three or four usually does the trick. It helps take out that initial ‘give’ so your bracelet keeps its shape better. A teeny habit that makes a big difference 😅.

String your 4mm sterling silver beads onto your elastic – I use my trusty old mini bulldog clips to hold the beads onto my elastic…love em!

I normally use heavier weight beads, many beads you buy online have large holes like 1.5 – 2mm+, this means less sterling content, lighter in weight and cheaper, but I don’t ever want to compromise on quality when sending to a customer. It also means if you have a larger hole bead the bracelet can look almost bunched together (see the image below), it’s not beautifully round like the bracelet on the right, so be careful of this as it tends to make the bracelet look less refined. I like to get the best quality weightier beads with a small 1mm hole so giving you a great overall feel. Slide on your beads and finish with your tube bead.

Test the fit – Before tying, wrap it around your wrist to check it’s the right size for you – not too tight, not too loose.

Tie your knots – A good old fashioned simple knot x2 is what I do. Give it a gentle pull to make sure it’s secure, not pulling to tight that it snaps!

Trim & tuck – Trim any excess elastic, leaving around 1.5cm, slide the knot and excess elastic into a end of the tube bead so it’s all hidden away.

Dot of glue down each end of your tube – Pop a very tiny bit of metal jewelry glue for extra security and so the elastic doesn’t pop out – it also secures the knot. I’ve tried many jewellery glues over the years, but now only use High Strength Oily Glue. I just don’t want my glue to fail on customer orders and for me this is the best I’ve found. Always let your jewelry glue dry overnight and be super strict with this, I don’t send orders out unless they have had a full night drying. I hang mine to dry off my super handy brass jewelry stand.

Little Tip! – Once the glue’s dry, add a 4mm sterling silver crimp bead cover to the bracelet – slot it in and close together, anywhere along the bracelet if fine just to tighten it up so it doesn’t feel baggy. Once closed you’ll not notice it at all and the bracelet feels tighter.

Once you glue is dry, polish, stack and admire – One down… now make a few more and layer them up!