Family Bracelets

It had been a while since I had made some jewelry, so when I needed to come up with some gifts for a few of RJ's family I figured it was a good time to revive the hobby. Since they were all related (his step-grandmother, stepmother, his aunt and her partner), I thought it would be cute if the pieces matched.

Stacked jewelry seems to be super popular at the moment, so I decided to go with a couple bracelets each. I looked at my collection of beads and picked out a handful of different types in the same color palette.

As they were all a fan beach themes, I went with soft aqua tones and then contrasted them with metallic copper colors. I went for beads in different shapes and sizes that had some translucency to them, reminiscent of colored sea glass. Magnesite in its turquoise color and evocation of nature with its organic veins was thrown in. And finally clear crystal with just a hint of smokey brown or light blue to suggest water.

Since I only had a few beads of each type, rather than making the sets identical, I mixed them up, balancing colors and sizes between all four sets. But each being different yet similar made then just like the recipients: related, but individuals.

I made the bracelets without clasps, opting instead to string them on elastic. Because there's nothing more annoying than fighting to fasten a clasp around your own wrist. And when the clasp isn't interesting enough to be a focal point to the piece, I don't really see the point.

I tied each pair of bracelets together with some organza ribbon in bronze. It wasn't intended to be worn with the ribbon, but after I added it, I realized it wouldn't look half bad if it was left on.

If I had more if the same beads or more time, I would have liked to have added another bracelet or two to each set, but maybe that's something I can add to as future presents. But they turned out rather pretty so I happy overall with how they turned out.

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