Bracelets

A bracelet is the piece you notice on yourself all day. This collection runs from engraved name bracelets and birthstone charms to foxtail, figaro and paperclip chains, plus crosses, stars, hamsas and freshwater pearls. All 18K gold vermeil over solid sterling silver, or gold plated, in gold, silver and rose gold, from $45.

Bracelet Questions

How loose should a bracelet be?

Loose enough to rotate freely, tight enough not to clear your hand. The usual measure is one finger between the chain and your wrist. Too tight and the clasp digs in when you type; too loose and it slides over the wrist bone and catches on everything. If you're between sizes, go up — a bracelet that spins is comfortable, one that binds gets taken off.

Can you shower or sleep with a bracelet on?

Sleeping is the bigger risk. A wrist moves all night against sheets and the clasp works loose — most bracelets that vanish are lost overnight, not in the shower. Water itself is fine; soap residue builds in the links and dulls the finish. If you never take yours off, rinse and dry it properly once a week.

Can bracelets be resized?

Chain bracelets, yes — links come out or an extender goes in, and any bench jeweller can do it in minutes. Solid bangles and cuffs are much harder and often not worth it. Ours are chain, so shortening is straightforward. Ask before you buy if you're at the edges of the range rather than after.

Can you wear a bracelet as an anklet?

Only if it's long enough, and most aren't — the average ankle needs 9 to 10 inches against 7 for a wrist. A bracelet forced onto an ankle sits under tension and the clasp fails. If you want both, buy the anklet length and wear it doubled on the wrist instead, which works far better than the reverse.

Can you wear bracelets on both wrists?

Yes, and it's the current way to do it — one wrist stacked with two or three, the other with a watch or a single fine chain. The rule that keeps it from looking cluttered: vary the width, not the metal. Three chains of the same weight read as one thick bracelet.

Will a gold bracelet tarnish?

Wrists take more punishment than necks — hand cream, sanitiser, desk edges. At 3.0 microns of gold over sterling silver, ours hold up to that far better than the 0.5 micron plating typical elsewhere. What dulls any of them is soap film in the links, and a soft brush in warm water takes it straight back off.

For the engraved versions, see name bracelets and engraved bracelets. To add stones, see birthstone bracelets. For charms, see charm jewelry.