This is Molly Alexander and today I am sharing this fun knotted shell bracelet that will keep you feeling like you have the sun on your face and your feet in the sand this summer!

[Tweet “Beautiful and EASY seashell bracelet tutorial #beach #crafts #jewelry”]

Supplies:

• Turquoise 2-ply waxed Irish linen thread – (3) 20″ pieces, (2) 2.5″ pieces
• An extra piece of thread to use with your clipboard (optional)
• A shell that is approximately 1.5″ wide
• 8mm round faceted glass beads in matte light aqua, matte tangerine and opaque turquoise – (4) of each color
• opaque orange, turquoise and aqua seed beads in matching colors
• Antique brass toggle clasp
• 6mm antique brass jump rings(2)

Tools:

• Hand drill, Dremmel or drill press
• Diamond drill bit
• Shallow metal or glass bowl
• Water
• Sharpie
• Scissors
• Clip board (optional)
• Chain-nosed pliers

Instructions:

1. You are going to drill three holes in one side of the shell and one hole in the opposite side of the shell.  To do this, it is just like drilling a hole in a piece of glass:
2. Mark the holes on the underside of the shell with a Sharpie.  Lay your shell in the shallow bowl and pour water onto it making sure that the shell is just barely covered with water.
3. Using your drill and diamond drill bit, turn on the drill and slowly and very gently start to drill the hole with one hand while holding the shell tight with the other hand.  Let the drill do the work, and don’t force it to go too fast.  As you are drilling, lift the drill a little bit every few seconds to allow water to get into the spot you are drilling.  This cleans it out and cools it down all at the same time.  When you are finished, dry off your shell completely.
4. Fold each piece of your waxed Irish linen thread in half and attach them to the side of the shell with the three holes using a Lark’s head knot.  (Optional: If you are using a clip board to help hold your bracelet still while you work, attach the scrap piece of waxed Irish linen thread to the single hole in the shell, make a knot about an inch away from the shell and place the thread on the clip board with the knot under the clip.)
5. Starting with the left-hand side, skip the first thread, add your first glass bead to the second thread and knot the second and third threads together approximately 1/2″ below the shell
6. Go to the fifth thread from the left, add your next bead and knot the fifth and fourth threads together approximately 1/2″ below the shell.
7. Add your third bead to the fourth thread and knot the fourth and third threads together approximately 1/2″ below the knot above it.
8. Start the process again, alternating bead colors until all of the beads are used up and your bracelet is the length you desire it to be.  You will notice that the bracelet will start to look like a net.
9. Once you reach the desired length, thread all six lengths of thread through one of the 6mm jump rings and tie it using a simple knot.
10. add some seed beads to the ends of the thread, tie simple knots in them at different lengths and trim them so the longest is about 2″.
11. Using your chain-nosed pliers, add the bar piece of the toggle clasp to the end with the knotted threads.
12. Cut away the scrap waxed Irish linen thread from the single hole of the shell and add the other 6mm jump ring and loop piece of the toggle clasp to this other hole.
13. Take the two 2.5″ pieces of thread and tie them to the jump ring that is connected to the shell, add some seed beads and tie them off very close to the shell.
14. Put on your new bracelet and imagine you are on the beach running your hands through the warm sand!

Here is another version of this bracelet that I made using some more earthy colors:

If you decide to make this bracelet, leave a comment and let us know how it turned out!