Bead Bracelet & Matching Earrings

Students will create a bead bracelet of their own design after investigating bead bracelet styles and techniques. Afterwards, students can make a matching set of earrings using one motif from their bracelet design.

This unit has four parts: research and design (designing a project, measuring for materials),  bead bracelet in student's choice of technique and materials, earrings that match bracelet, and documentation of the finished work (photos, email, reflection, and critique).

Overview Unit Goal

Composition Concepts

  • Repetition & Pattern
  • Functionality
  • Color, texture, and size variety to create visual interest

Technical Skills

  • Beading Stitches
  • Wire Bending 
  • Clasps & Finishing

Tools & Supplies

  • Pliers
  • Needle
  • Thread / Wire
  • Findings

Order of Work

Determine Your Design
  • Research bead bracelet designs
  • Sketch out the design you are most interested in
  • Think through the color scheme you want in your bracelet
  • Measure the length of the bracelet you want to create (slightly larger than your wrist)
  • You may want to divide this measurement by 9 to get the length of 8 motifs and a hook/clasp finding section. 
  • Count how many beads you will need of each color for your design.
Bead Bracelet
  • Create a bead and/or wire bracelet
  • You can follow a pattern or create your own design
Matching Earrings
  • Create a pair of earrings that match the bracelet design
  • Use one motif from the bracelet pattern.
  • Colors and textures from the bracelet should match the earrings.
Documenting

Bead Bracelet Patterns

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Bending Wire Around One Bead
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Wire Loops in place of Beads
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Wire Weaving around Large Beads
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Single Bead Motif
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Wire Loops Around Bead
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Flat Spiral Stitch
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Chevron Stitch
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Square Stitch
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Tubular Peyote Stitch
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Tubular Herringbone Stitch
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Twisted Herringbone
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Open Weave with String
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Spiral Rope Stitch
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Russian Spiral Rope Stitch
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Peyote with a Twist
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Spiral Peyote Tube Earrings
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Square Stitch
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Brick Stitch
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Daisy Chain Stitch
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St. Petersburg Chain Stitch
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Taffy Stitch
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Netting Stitch
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Pondo Stitch
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Fringe Stitch

Designing your Bracelet

  • Your bracelet should have a repeating motif (pattern that repeats in the design)
  • Your bracelet should be functional (has a clasp, is the size for a wrist, etc.)
  • You can choose a bracelet pattern or create your own design

Things to Consider

  • ​What color scheme will work with the style bracelet you have chosen?
  • How can you use texture, size, and color to create visual variety in your bracelet?
  • Some stitch types use wire and some use string. This impacts how the bracelet feels when you wear it. A wire bracelet has more structure and can feel firm  to wear. A string bracelet flows with your movement, feels soft and flexible.

3 Photos of your Bead Bracelet

  • Use a solid background (no distracting lines, shadows, table, or other stuff) like the photo cube
  • Use quality lighting (soft shadow from artwork only)
  • Photo should be in focus, with artwork centered
  • One photo of your bracelet without any other objects
  • One photo of your bracelet on an object in the photo cube (piece of wood, clear stand, rock, etc.) so that is looks more dimensional in the photo
  • One photo of your bracelet on a wrist with a non-distracting, solid colored background
  • Three photos in total

Email an Image of Your Project

Grading Criteria