Before

Project and Sample by Janice Parsons

The bee, a symbol of productivity, sits proudly in the center of this bauble charm bracelet. When Janice created it, the world was in the beginning of the global spread of COVID-19 and everyone started staying home to help stop transmission and save lives. “I had a very strong reaction to how much life was different 'Before' the outbreak; the old way of life and how busy we all were, how crowded life was...and then 'after.' Suddenly there was quiet and birds were everywhere and the air was clean. I felt an internal need to express how I was feeling and it came out in this bracelet, which I treasure.”

In this embellished piece, Janice begins with varying styles of chain for the base of three strands. 

1. To begin, measure your wrist loosely and add 1 inch to the total length. The nature of the bar clasp and how it closes will require this extra length to fit both sides into each other when it is around your wrist and you want to secure it.

2. The chains you want to select should be heavy enough to carry the weight of all the elements. Janice selected Rustico, Wrapped Link, and Smooth Sailing. Lay the chains flat on a surface, and with the clasp included, measure them against the desired length. You can always cut links away or add more length as Janice did with wire wrapped bead units, as needed.
3. Set the chain aside and wire wrap your beads into bead units. Try to keep them on the short side, but get creative! Use spacers to separate beads on a head pin. Wire wrap more than you think you need. This includes wire wrapping Czech drops using the briolette method.
4. If you have a Bee Charm or other special pieces you want to add, decide where you want to place them now and add them to the chain(s) using jump rings.
5. Once your bead units are ready to add to the chains, visually space them out on the 3 chains before you do anything. If you think you’ll need more, you can make them later. Using jump rings, begin adding units to the chain. Your clasp should not yet be connected to the chain, be sure to leave 2-3 links empty on each end of the chain.
6. Temporarily connect the middle chain on both sides of the clasp using jump rings. Make sure your clasp is closed when you do this. You don’t want to twist chains by attaching any to the wrong end of the clasp. Repeat with your outer chain strands.
7. This is the part where time and patience is critical. If you find the bracelet is going to be too tight or too long, now is the time to adjust that. Undo the jump rings which attach the clasp to the chains and make adjustments: Too short? Calculate how much longer you need and wire-wrap bead units from the clasp to the chain. Too long? Cut some of the links off the chains and reattach again using jump rings. Repeat with all three strands. 
8. You did it! Try it on again. If you find the important pieces are facing backwards, you can remove them and reposition them, just use new jump rings!

Find ingredient quantities for Before listed above for easy shopping, and find our other samples here.

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