How to Choose Your Next Bracelet

It can be very difficult and time consuming to choose a bracelet, especially if it is a gift for a friend or a close family relative because you want it to be perfect. You want the bracelet to be gorgeous, memorable, but with so many designs, styles, not to mention prices, you have to be an expert in choosing a bracelet. I’m talking about knowing what brand to buy, how to tell if the gem stones are real or fake, knowing what goes style of bracelet goes with what type of person, and the like. This article aims to provide you with the best tips and steps on how to choose carefully what bracelet to buy either for yourself or for someone else as a gift. Simply follow these tips on how to choose a bracelet:

Budget

First of all, you have to set a budget for yourself. You may think bracelets are easy to find, but what hinders people from buying them is the price. Decide and stick to the budget you’ve chosen for yourself and make sure that the bracelet doesn’t go over it (or if it does, don’t let it be more than 10%). Once you have a budget in mind, then it is time to look for a good bracelet.

Design

The first thing is to decide what design you want for your bracelet. This includes knowing how heavy the bracelet should be, if it’s streamlined or with pointed edges, if the mount for the stones and gems are strong enough, etc. Here are some ideas you might want to consider:

o The prongs used to mount the gems should be sturdy and shouldn’t be too thin or else they could open up and fall off anytime unnoticed.

o Make sure the designs are damage proof and that the bracelet can last for a long time without loosing its luster or strength.

o Consider the design dimensions of the bracelet to avoid instances where the metal is too thin, the overall bracelet too heavy, etc.


Metal

One way of determining the price of a bracelet is through the metal. The heaviness of the metal used and if the choice is a gold bracelet will determine if you can afford it or not. Usually jewelers are very excited to sell you gold bracelets, so make sure you know what kind you’re buying before handing over the money.

Gems

The next step in choosing a bracelet is choosing the gemstones. There are a lot of ways in choosing a bracelet based on gemstones, one of which is through associating them with the person’s birthstone. Here is a chart of birth stone colors to help you in the process. Sometimes choosing alternative birthstones can help you stay in your budget.

Quality

You have to know if the craftsmanship is of good quality or not. You should always demand well crafted bracelets, especially if you’re buying gold or silver ones as a gift. You will know if the craftsmanship of a certain bracelet is bad when you:

o Notice that the price is cheaper than normal good quality bracelets

o The mount of the gemstones can easily be bent open. o Badly connected links

o Luster is of low quality


Size & Color

o Verify the size is appropriate for the the person who will wear the bracelet.

o Does the color match ones wardrobe. Though gold and silver generally match more outfits, certain colors won’t be worn often.

Brands

Name brands or at least established jewelers often have higher quality of craftsmanship. This is one of the reasons people often buy from designers. Tiffany’s and Harry Winston come to mind as many people’s favorites. However, there is a premium for this and your budget may encourage you to simply look for high quality materials without the name to go with it.

Hopefully, these tips will help you find the best bracelet!