DIY Leather Bracelet with a Pearl
Updated on January 14, 2021
When I decided that I really love the way pearls and leather look together but that combination isn’t really mainstream trending right now, I decided to just go ahead and make it myself! Luckily for me, I was actually so thrilled with the outcome that I made several more. Learn to make your own DIY leather bracelet with a pearl right here!
Check out these step by step instructions complete with photos. If you’d rather follow along with a video tutorial instead of written words, scroll to the bottom of this post to find just what you’re looking for.
For this project, you’ll need:
- Scissors
- A dotting tool
- White leather cord
- Pink pearl
- Jump rings
- Pliers
- Ribbon clasps
- Wire
Step 1: Gather your materials!
It’ll make the process easier if you have everything you need first.
Step 2: cut your leather
Cut two pieces of leather thong that are six inches long each (or figure out how long you’ll need to make yours based on the diameter of your wrist). Fold the first piece in half so its ends meet and a loop is created at the other end. Take your first ribbon clamp and insertboth of the thong’s ends into the clamp, keeping them as even as possible, then press the clamp closed on both ends to hold them in place. This is one half of your bracelet.
Step 3: add the rings
Use your dotting tool to pry one of your jump rings open and slide its open end through the little loop on the end of the ribbon clamp. Pinch the jump ring closed again and set this piece aside for the moment; you’ll finish it off later.
Step 4: repeat
Repeat the ribbon clamp and leather thong process you did before with your second piece of leather to create the other half of your bracelet. Fold it in half so a loop happens at the halfway point and the loose ends meet evenly. Clamp both ends inside the ribbon clamp and press it closed.
Step 5: jump rings
Repeat the jump ring process as well! Use your dotting tool to pry the ring open, loop the end through the little ring on the end of the ribbon clamp you just closed, and then place the closing clasp on the ring through its own little ring as well before you shut it. Squeeze the jump ring closed again. This clasp will close around the jump ring you put on the first ribbon clasp, letting you take the bracelet on and off.
Step 6: adding the pearl
Use the clipper blade on your pliers to cut a piece of jewelry wire about an inch and a half long and put it through the hole in the middle of your pearl bead. Use the pliers, your dotting tool, or your fingers to curl one end of the wire over but keep it open a little and slip the looped end of one of your leather thongs into that wire curve. Squeeze the wire closed around the leather. You can take the pearl bead off the wire while you negotiate this part of you need to, but make sure you put it back on before you repeat the process on the other side. Slide the bead on, use the pliers or dotting tool to curve the other end of the wire, slide the second leather loop into the wire curve, and squeeze the wire closed around it. The pearl now sits suspended between the two leather loops, like the centrepiece of your bracelet.
That’s really all there is to it! Of course, you can always use these steps as a beginning point and get creative with colours or the kinds of beads you use from there. Just in case you’d like to try this project out for yourself, here’s a fantastic tutorial video to help you!