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Silk & Pearl Memory Wire Bracelet Tutorial

Tutorial by Adrianne Surian

This bracelet tutorial combines silk fibers and pearls for an organic piece with a boho feel.  This DIY memory wire bracelet only takes a few supplies and no special jewelry making techniques.  If you’ve got a steady hand, even beginners can make a beautiful silk bangle!
Silk & Pearl Memory Wire Bracelet Tutorial DIY
Suggested Tools and Materials:
Please note: some items pictured may not be available from Happy Mango Beads. Please see the above links for suggestions.
Silk & Pearl Memory Wire Bracelet Tutorial DIY
To begin, cut 3-4 coils of memory wire.  (You can also use more or fewer, depending on your personal taste.)  Add a drop of glue to the hole in the memory wire end, and hold it on the end of your wire until it’s dry enough not to fall off as you work.
Silk & Pearl Memory Wire Bracelet Tutorial DIY

Next, begin slipping the memory wire inside the hand stitched silk.  You will have to take care during this step to not poke the wire through the outer part of the silk.  One or two holes can easily be covered with beads in the next step, but you may have to poke the wire through some of the inner layers of silk.

Once you’ve threaded the silk onto about half a coil, you may find it gets too slippery to continue.  You can secure the silk to your wire by clamping a bead stopper onto the silk-covered wire so that you can continue threading.

This step is not difficult, but it can’t be rushed.  Your finished bracelet will look nicer the more patient you are while working. Be prepared to spend 15-20 minutes working gently with the silk.

Silk & Pearl Memory Wire Bracelet Tutorial DIY
This bracelet uses approximately 20 inches of each color silk – enough to allow for gentle ruching or gathering.  For this step, let your own preference be your guide!  Do not worry if the silk ends don’t fit nicely together.  All the frayed ends (as shown in the above photo) will be tucked in and hidden under pearls.
Silk & Pearl Memory Wire Bracelet Tutorial DIY

Finally, you can finish raw edges and hide any holes or thin spots by threading beads onto the end of the memory wire before gluing on the final end cap.  I used ten pearls, but you can add more if you have a lot to cover, or if you just prefer more beads!

Next to each end cap, you’ll have a raw end of silk cord.  Slipping the pearl up directly next to the end cap will hide this.  Any places you changed colors of silk will also need to be tucked inside of pearls to hide the seam.  Additional beads should be arranged along the wire in various places.

Silk & Pearl Memory Wire Bracelet Tutorial DIY
Fiber jewelry is one of the hot trends this year, and pearls and silk are especially luxurious and surprisingly affordable when you make your own DIY memory wire bracelet!
Silk & Pearl Memory Wire Bracelet Tutorial DIY