Easy cabochon bracelet | DIY

Sometimes I'm simply amazed how easy it can be to make your own jewelry. I mean, would you suspect that I needed less than 10 minutes to assemble this bracelet? And I'm no expert. I repeatedly have to google how I open and close jump rings properly or how to make an eye on an eye pin like for the alphabet necklaces. But I love google for that. And if I can do it (use google AND make jewelry), then you can do it, too. So this is a super simple tutorial for a cabochon bracelet. The only thing you need to know is how to open and close jump rings, I swear.

What you need:

BEADS:
cabochons - there are so many cute options but mine where a very dark blue that glitters when light shines on it

JEWELRY FINDINGS:
antique bronze chain - I 'recycled' an old necklace
cabochon settings (I used these) - make sure tray size and cabochon size are the same
antique bronze jump rings - from my own stock, but you can find those anywhere
clasp - I used the one that was already on the necklace

TOOLS:
jewelry glue
sidecutter
round nose pliers

How it works:

1. Measure your wrist. Add about 2 or 3 cm to that number and keep it in mind.

2. Glue the cabochons into the settings. Follow the instructions for the particular glue you are using. Let dry. I have to admit that I was not patient enough to wait for half an hour and continued after merely two minutes. Nothing fell off, so..

3. Connect the cabochon settings with jump rings until the work measures about 3 or more centimeters less than your wrist. Use round nose pliers to open and close the jump rings.

4. Now comes the part where we work with tiny tiny bits of chain. It's best to have a ruler or tape measure lying about so you can check the bracelet's length while you work. You need two small bits of chain of about the same length, three jump rings and a clasp. Use the sidecutter to cut the chain pieces. You can arrange them with the cabochons piece next to the ruler (overlap the jump rings a bit) to estimate how long you'll get. Then connect jump rings to each end of the first chain piece and a jump ring and a clasp on the other one. Connect one chain to each side of the cabochon bracelet.

5. Whew, that was fast! Try it on!

There are so many options how to create cabochon bracelets, but if I were to make another one, I would probably use one of these: glitter, galaxy, natural, eyes, dalmatian.
Have fun creating your own versions!