Bubble Girl Bracelet

Skill Level: Beginner/All

Technique: Round Wire/Forming

One of my customers was a bride who needed a special, yet inexpensive gift for her “bubble girl”, who blew soap bubbles on the happy couple after the wedding. After just a moment’s thought, I grabbed a piece of wire and voila! “Bubble Bracelet” was born! This design is very quick to make and with all of the amazing beads available today, the variation possibilities are endless. (Of course, you do not have to be a “bubble girl” to wear this.)

Materials

**Tip: When choosing your supplies, make sure that your bead choices fit onto your chosen wire gauge, (18-gauge being the stronger choice of the two options).

• 1 piece 18-gauge round half hard Sterling Silver jewelry wire 11.5″
• 1 piece 22-gauge square half hard Sterling Silver jewelry wire 1.5″
• 3 12mm Bali Silver Beads
• 4 7mm Bali Silver Beads

Tools

• Chain Nose Pliers
• Flat Nose Pliers
• Round Nose Pliers
• Double-Barrel Pliers
• Wire Cutters
• File
• Hammer
• Steel block or vise
• Ruler
• Fine Tipped Marker

Instructions

1. Formula = wrist + ½-inch. Straighten, clean, then measure and cut a piece of wire Formula length + 3-inches.
2. Measure 1¼” from one end of wire and mark. Use either the small side of double barrel pliers or the largest section of round-nose pliers; make a wrapped loop with this shorter end.
   
3. Divide your Formula measurement in half.  Using this new number, measure from the bottom of the loop just made toward the open end and mark.
   
4. Put your embellishments/beads on a scrap wire and measure their total length.
   
5. Divide the embellishment measurement by 2, and use this distance to mark to each side of the center mark on the bracelet wire.
   
6. Use a pin vise to twist a 1-1/2 inch piece of 22g square wire, (this is a great use for a scrap). At one end of this twisted wire, use the small tip of round-nose pliers to form a small loop that will ‘just’ fit over the bracelet wire gauge.
   
7. Making sure your bracelet wire JUST fits into this loop cut the excess wire from the loop, forming a ‘bead’. You will need to make two of these, which will be holding your embellishments in place.
   
8. Put one of those loop ‘beads’ on the mark closest to your closed wrapped loop, and crimp it into place with either flat-nose pliers or a crimping tool.  Add the chosen bead embellishments and crimp the other ‘twisted bead’ on the opposite end, to hold the center beads in place.
   
9. From the open end of the bracelet wire, measure ¾-inch and mark. Use a chasing hammer to flatten this segment of wire, on the same plane as the end loop/eye.
   
10. To form the hook, use the tips of round-nose pliers to form a tiny curl at the flattened end of the wire.  Replace round-nose pliers at a larger segment of the jaw, immediately under the curl just formed and roll the wire in the opposite direction, forming a hook.
    
11. Begin shaping the bracelet by bending it around a form and ‘walking’ your fingers on the wire, teasing it slowly into an oval. Carefully make a little bend with your chain-nose pliers in the wire at each side of the hook and eye, finishing the shape.
    
12. Finished Bracelet