How pretty is this!? Jennifer made it for her friend Janice, but it was so pretty we took pictures before she gave it to her. (She loved it, of course!) We didn’t know whether to call it a Multi-Strand Gemstone Bracelet or a Tassel & Gemstone Bracelet. We settled on Multi-Strand Friendship Bracelet because more than anything it really was made as a friendship bracelet!

How To Make A Multi-Strand Friendship Bracelet

Materials

130 Round freshwater pearls, 3-4mm
21 faceted garnet gemstone beads, 4mm
76 Gold nugget beads, 4mm
44 faceted apatite gemstone beads, 4mm
1 Gold and garnet charm with jump ring
1 Gold rhinestone charm with jump ring
1 mini turquoise tassel with jump ring
6 Gold crimp beads
6 Gold wire guardians
2 Gold jump rings, 8mm
1 Gold ball-tip headpin
1 piece of gold loop chain, 1.5” long
19-strand Bead stringing wire, gold color

Tools

Ruler
Wire Cutters
Chain-nose pliers
Round-nose pliers
Optional: Bead Bug or Masking Tape

Steps

1. Start by cutting three 12” pieces of bead stringing wire. Apply a piece of masking tape or a Bead Bug on one end of each piece of wire to keep beads from sliding off.

2. To bead the first strand, feed approximately 26 freshwater pearls (about 1¾” of beads) onto the wire followed by approximately 21 faceted garnets (also about 1¾” of beads). Slide on the garnet charm. Then feed on another 1¾” of freshwater pearls followed by 1¾” of gold nugget beads. Place a piece of masking tape over that end of the wire.

3. For the second strand, feed approximately 19 gold nugget beads (about 1¾” of beads) onto the wire followed by 1¾” of freshwater pearls. Slide on the turquoise tassel. Then feed on 1¾” of faceted apatite beads (approx. 22 beads) followed by another 1¾” of gold nugget beads. Place a piece of masking tape over that end of the wire.

4. For the third strand, feed on 1¾” of faceted apatite beads onto the wire followed by 1¾” of freshwater pearls. Slide on the rhinestone charm. Then feed on 1¾” of gold nuggets followed by another 1¾” of freshwater pearls. Place a piece of masking tape over that end of the wire.

We made tassels like this for a pair of earrings. You can watch this Tiny Tassel Earrings earrings video if you want to make your own tassel.

How To Make a Tiny Tassel

5. To finish the end of each strand, remove the masking tape from one end. Slide a crimp bead onto the beading wire, then feed the wire through a wire guardian then back through the crimp bead. Slide the crimp bead up close to the wire guardian, then flatten the crimp with the chain-nose pliers and trim the wire. Remove the tape from the other end and slide on a crimp bead. Then feed the wire through a wire guardian and back through the crimp bead. This time, slide the beads down to finished end of the bracelet, pulling the wire through the guardian and crimp bead to remove slack. Flatten the crimp bead with the chain-nose pliers and trim the wire. Repeat to finish the ends of the two other beaded strands.

6. To attach the clasp, open a jump ring using the two pairs of pliers and slide it through the loops on one end of each of the beaded strands. Then feed on the lobster clasp and close the jump ring.

7. Open a jump ring and feed it through the loops at the other end of each strand Be sure to feed the strands on in the same order as the other side so they lay evenly on the wrist and don’t crisscross. Feed a link of the chain onto the open jump ring, then close the jump ring. (The chain will make the bracelet adjustable!)

8. To add the bead dangle to the chain, slide a gold nugget onto the headpin and finish it with a wrapped loop through the last link of the chain.

You can make this multi-strand bracelet using any combination of beads you like! Just choose beads that are all about the same size to get a similar look. And have fun with it! Happy Crafting!
Jennifer & Kitty