How to Make Your Own Charm Bracelet

One of the biggest trends in jewelry today is that of creating your own charm bracelet. Charm bracelets have recently become very popular again with the introduction of Pandora Charms and Trollbeads charm bracelets that allow you to easily add and remove charms, beads and spacers to create a charm bracelet that is totally unique to you. There is a vast selection of charms, beads and spacers for you to choose from, and one of the very best places to look for your charms is online. Choose from animal charms, love charms, heart charms, handbag charms, car charms, bee charms, slogan charms, flower charms, gemstone charms and many more! Look on Amazon today, as they have one of the biggest selections of beads, charms and spacers. So one of the first things you have to decide on is what you want your completed charm bracelet to look like and what budget you have to spend. If you want to splash out or are asking for a special birthday or Christmas gift, choose a gold or sterling silver link charm bracelet. You can buy a complete set of gold or silver charms with your bracelet, or you can build up your bracelet charm by charm. If you are looking for a more colourful, casual look, you can buy a leather or fibre bracelet and select colourful glass beads or affordable, fun charms. You can buy bundles of coloured glass beads and charms for charm bracelets, which are very reasonably priced and that give you lots of options to mix and match the charms on your bracelet. Create more than one charm bracelet in different colours, and you can have several special bracelets that go with your different outfits!

Once you have bought your charm bracelet and decided on what type of charms that you are going to collect, you need to look at how you are going to attach the charms to the charm bracelet. If you have decided on a metal link charm bracelet, there are various types of rings on charms that allow you to fasten them onto your charm bracelet, and most charms can be fitted onto almost any bracelet. One of the most secure ways to add charms to a charm bracelet is to take it to a reputable jeweller who will solder the charms onto the bracelet. The charms will need to have a jump ring attachment for this to be done, and, once soldered, it is very unlikely that the charm will fall off and get lost. So if you are collecting valuable gold or antique charms, this might be the safest method for you. Check how much you will be charged first, as prices for attaching charms can vary quite dramatically, and sometimes the jeweller where you bought the charm could be the cheapest option as they often will do the soldering at a discounted rate. The disadvantage of this method is that you cannot easily take off the charms and add new ones, or rearrange the charms on your charm bracelet.

So if you frequently want to mix and match, change your colour scheme, the theme of your charms or start again from scratch, it may be better for you to buy charms that you can attach yourself. So the types of attachments that you want to look out for are split rings, no solder jump rings and lobster claw clasps.  Split rings are just like tiny key rings, where there is a spiral of metal which you can split open and slide the charm on. You can then use the same method to attach the split ring to the link of the bracelet.  You can buy split ring pliers to make this process easier.  The downside of split ring fastenings is that they work best with fine link bracelets; if the metal is too thick the split ring will get bent out of shape and will not snap shut properly, which means that you risk losing your precious charms. You can also get no solder jump rings, which are precision cut so that they can be opened and shut without there being hardly a join that you can see, so offering your charms almost the same degree of security as having them soldered onto your charm bracelet.  Charms can also be fitted with a lobster clasp, which opens and shuts so that you can just clip your charms onto the charm bracelet.

Adding a Pandora charm to a snake style bracelet is a different process.  Pandora charm bracelets are split into three sections.  Pandora charms and beads have a hole in the centre with a unique Pandora thread inside, so to add the Pandora charm you have selected to your bracelet you need to screw the bead very gently onto the bracelet.  You should then be able to slide the bead about a third of the way down the length of the bracelet.  The Pandora charm will then stop, but if you want to move it round further, you just gently screw the charm around again and slide it into the position you have chosen. If you want the charm to be on the last section of the charm bracelet, twist it again and slide it. To take your charms off your bracelets, you can easily just twist the charms backwards and slide them off your Pandora bracelet.  Once you have all your Pandora charms arranged just the way that you want them, you need to put the end of the bracelet into the clasp and gently squeeze the clasp closed. To cover the threads that section off your Pandora charm bracelet, you can buy decorative Pandora clips, which also keep your charms and beads in the section you have chosen for them.  You can also buy spacers to place between your beads and charms and Pandora safety beads that have a two inch long safety chain, which will help you to not lose your charm bracelet if it becomes accidentally unclasped. All you have to do is to screw it on as the first and last bead of your unique Pandora bracelet.   If you are building a leather or fibre Pandora charm bracelet, you will have to remove the crimp clasps with pliers, then slide on your beads and charms, and finally secure the bracelet by locking the crimp clasp into place.

With link charm bracelets, you will be able to attach any charm as long as it has a suitable clasp. Buy if you are creating a Pandora, Trollbead or other branded charm bracelet, you need to be a bit more careful about what charms that you buy. Check before you buy that your charm is compatible with your particular bracelet. There is a huge selection available that are compatible with Pandora and Trollbeads, which opens up an even bigger choice for you. Some of these beads and charms are also very reasonably priced, so you can create several different charm beads with different colours and themes.

So now you are ready to go and create a wonderful, unique charm bracelet. Whether you choose gold, silver, leather or coloured glass, you will be able to make yourself a very special piece of jewelry that you can wear time and time again. Or why not start to create a charm bracelet for a loved one or friend as a special gift? You can have so much fun adding to your charm bracelets and changing the way it looks whenever you want to, so start collecting your charms today.

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