When I was at High Point back in April, I spent far too long in a showroom that was filled floor to ceiling with stunning blue and white chinoiserie bead jewelry. Among their displays were bracelets, necklaces, earrings, which I absolutely loved — but not for the prices they were asking.
Luckily, when I was at a festival in Sperryville a few weekends later, I spotted a necklace for a much more reasonable price and immediately snatched it up. But I had a DIY urge lurking and, while the necklace is gorgeous, I also wanted a bracelet — and I wanted to make it myself.
Blue and White Chinoiserie Bead Bracelet DIY
I picked up blue and white chinoiserie beads at Michaels, though I found they’re significantly less expensive on Amazon (I’ve linked options below). Initially, I simply strung the beads on white beading floss, but I felt like that didn’t have as professional of a look as I wanted. Instead, I ended up doing a hand knotted look that is perfectly imperfect. It was a quick and easy project that took no more than 30 minutes start to finish.
Full disclosure: I waited until I was home in Richmond to do the hand knotting because this is the type of thing my mom is great at and I am not, ha. But if you’re crafty and patient, this is incredibly easy.
A Few More Considerations Before You DIY
While you don’t have to hand knot the bracelet, I do love the more intentional look that the visible thread gives it. However, most of these beads have bigger holes and you’ll want to choose a thicker embroidery floss rather than normal beading thread. I love the look of the royal blue embroidery thread to pull out the blue within the beads. It won’t be perfect, but that’s part of the look.
Also, I’ve written before about how I try to avoid costume jewelry when possible, instead opting for fine or demi-fine jewelry. You can definitely pick up a $3 clasp but, if you’re going to put the DIY effort into this project, you might as well spring for one that won’t tarnish within the first season. I went for a gold fill toggle closure and so far, so good.
