Mala Bracelet
I was browsing through a "new age" type catalog looking at all the cool merchandise I couldn’t afford, when I saw some pretty beaded bracelets and necklaces for sale. But, these beaded pieces weren’t just jewelry, they were Mala prayer beads. Of course, being a jewelry maker, I thought, "I could make those." A few days later, I received an email from someone asking about....you guessed it...how to make a Mala prayer bead bracelet. After a little research and a little playing around, I came up with a few ways to make these spiritual pieces of jewelry.
The basic design of these bracelets includes 27 beads and a tassel. Most of the prayer bead bracelets I’ve seen have been made out of semi-precious stone beads such as rose quartz, carnelian, or onyx. I didn’t see a clasp on the bracelets in the catalog, so I wasn’t sure how they were to come on and off. Also, when I strung up 27 beads, I realized the bracelet would be very large for most people. While experimenting, I came up with a few variations on this design. This article describes the first design I created. Future articles will show variations on this basic design.
Design 1: Hematite Prayer Bracelet
For my first design attempt, I basically made it as similar to the catalog version as possible. I used the following supplies and tools:
#4 nylon burgandy thread w/attached needle
1 - 8mm hematite bead
27 - 6mm hematite beads
24 - 4mm hematite beads
3 4mm red Czech crystal beads
3 gray colored seed beads
1cone shaped base metal bead
1 clamp shell
1 spring ring clasp
flat nosed pliers
clear finger nail polish
1. First, I knotted the end of the thread and added on the clamp shell.
2. Then I strung on 27 - 6mm beads, knotting between each bead.
3. The 8mm hematite bead was added next. Then I knotted and slipped on the cone shaped bead.
PAGE 2 ->Making the tassel & a printer friendly link
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