Gift Idea for Your BFF: DIY Wire Bracelet With Snowflake Clasp

Do you have a friend who is one of a kind? I hope you’re that lucky!  I love making handmade jewelry gifts, and today’s DIY wire bracelet tutorial is one of my favorite gifts I’ve made.  It’s fun as a Christmas gift because it’s a simple, winter-themed piece that will match nearly any style, and giving snowflake gifts is a great way to tell someone how uniquely special they are to you.  This project involves wire wrapping, and I’m going to classify it as an intermediate jewelry project.

If you still consider yourself a beginner – don’t let this design intimidate you.  Because it’s made completely out of 18-gauge wire, and you can make several bracelets from an inexpensive coil, it’s a great opportunity to practice your technique – for pennies a piece.  I’ll show you how to make these pretty bangles, and once you have your tools, you’ll be able to use them for any wire wrapping and jewelry-making projects in the future.

Supplies needed to make your own snowflake clasp DIY wire bracelet:

• 18 Gauge Silver Plated Copper Wire (each bracelet will require about 20 inches of wire)
• Nylon Pliers
• Round-Nosed Pliers
• Wire Cutters
• Anvil and Hammer (optional- I did hammer mine, but it’s a matter of preference.)

A note about the wire I’m recommending: the specific gauge isn’t so important as the hardness of the wire.  If you can’t find 18 gauge, choose 16 gauge copper wire.  Aluminum will be too soft for this project, and silver is quite expensive if you’re not experienced in working with wire (in which case, you don’t need my recommendation anyway, I’m sure you have your favorites).  This coil that I am using is 6 yards of wire – which means you can make about 20 bracelets with it.  That makes the cost under 25 cents per DIY wire bracelet after your tools!

Now, for the how-to!  Cut 20 inches of wire, and bend it in half at about 8.5 inches, so that you have one side that is 3 inches longer than the other.  Bending it fully will require the use of your pliers to really compress it small enough to fit into your clasp.  Then, bend the end slightly around your round nosed pliers to create a small hook.

Next, measure down your bracelet 7.25 inches (you can adjust this larger or smaller depending on the size wrist you’re making this for.  7.25 inches is a standard size.  The clasp will also add some length).  Create a bend in your wire to form the first of your snowflake points, and create bends about every 1/4 inch.  You’ll only need to make 5 points – the sixth one will be formed when you close off the clasp.  Hold the short end of the wire close to the longer wire, holding it in the center of your snowflake.

Now, clamp your nylon pliers over the snowflake, and wrap the long end around the bottom of your snowflake.  Coil it 3-4 times to secure it.  Trim off the excess wire from the coil and from the center.

Now, you can leave it as-is, and curve it into a bracelet now, or you can take it one more step, and hammer it.  Just straighten anything you may have bent while you worked on it before hammering.

Hammering will help to harden the DIY wire bracelet and make it more durable, and personally, I really like the look.  But it’s not necessary to complete the project, and hammering will often highlight anywhere you may have marred the wire (for example, if you had to re-bend it anywhere).  The bracelet will still wear well if you don’t hammer it, so this step is truly optional.

Now, all that’s left is to wrap up your DIY wire bracelet and give it to someone special!  Well, and to make one for yourself, too!

There are lots of ways to change up this DIY wire bracelet design, especially if you find the snowflake difficult to shape.  A heart would be an easier shape, or a plain circle even easier – and just as pretty!  Have fun with it!

Adrianne

Adrianne is a writer, artist, designer, wife, and mom of 2 kids. She blogs at happyhourprojects.com where the theme is tutorials and recipes that can be made in an hour or less. Her favorite projects are jewelry-making, paper crafts, and recycled crafts. She participates annually in ArtPrize, an international art competition, and she’s the author of the book DIY T-Shirt Crafts: 50 Ways to Recycle a T-Shirt (August 2015).