Trendwatch: When one bracelet is not enough

Less is definitely not more this summer, as this image from FabFashionFix.com shows, multiple bracelets is the way to go

A big trend this summer is for layered bracelets – that is wearing several bracelets on the same arm at once.

Which for those of us with an extensive bracelet habit is excellent news. Time to show several off at once.

And the really good news is that they don’t have to match. You can mix styles and materials to create your individual look. So that could be friendship bracelets (or some revived Shambala pieces) combined with silver bangles or a piece of vintage bling, mixing a Perspex cuff with simple beaded stretchies or adding in leather and recycled fabric numbers alongside a charm bracelet. The choice is endless.

Combine different bracelet styles and materials (glitterinc.com)

First stop is obviously your jewellery box. It is time to take out all your bracelets and play. Try different combinations with your summer wardrobe. Be brave and experiment with items you wouldn’t normally together. And while you are having fun put aside any bracelets you don’t wear any more so their components can be recycled into some new jewellery.

But you don’t have to stop at existing jewellery. At London Jewellery School, we’ve of course been thinking about different bracelets we could make, so here are a few ideas to get you started.

A set of friendship bracelets featuring different beads are a great way to start your layered look – you can find our free tutorial on this blog.

A multi-stranded stretch beaded bracelet can be adapted to any colour combination and adds volume to your layering – for another summer trend go for wooden or animal print beads and replace the ribbon with a leather cord. You can find a tutorial for this bracelet here.

Memory wire bracelets are a great way to add several “layers” in one go. You can find out more about making these and other beaded bracelets on the Beginners Beading course or in Jewelry Making for Absolute Beginners on our Jewelry From Home website.

Studded leather cuffs make excellent layering components and can be very eye-catching

Add colour to your bracelet collection with recycled fabric – bright cottons work well with velvet ribbons or fraying strips of denim