Handmade Gifts—Making a Fishing Lure Bracelet for a Special Someone

For an 11 1/2 inch bracelet you will need:

• 2 pairs of needle nose pliers
• a pair of wire cutters
• a gold and silver fishing lure
• 52 large gold jump rings
• a few small gold jump rings
• a toggle clasp

1. Carefully remove the fishing lure from the package without getting snagged by the hook.
2. Cut the ring holding the hook in place. It is quite tough so use your wire cutters.
3. Cut the ring off the other end as well. We will put something better looking on both ends.
4. Put a large jump ring on either end of the lure.
5. Now, onto the single jump ring on either end, create a chain using two jump rings at a time, putting twelve pairs on either side.
6. At this point, you can measure the wrist to see if it is going to be the right size.
7. You will need to add one large jump ring on either end and the toggle clasp so you can add or take away jump rings to make it a comfortable size.

Surprises are fun and you can't surprise someone if you are asking to measure their wrist so:

• When they remove their watch, measure it.
• Measure a cuff on one of their long sleeve shirts.
• Measure another bracelet they have.
• Resize it after you have gifted them.

The hook is extremely sharp so be careful. Be sure to keep the hook because you will be able to make an awesome pendant out of it in another tutorial.

These jump rings are very stiff and it is difficult to open and close with your fingers. So you will need two pairs of pliers to close them. Thankfully, they were shipped open so that part was already done.When you close 54 of these rings you will be thankful for the pliers.

When you close these jump rings, they actually snap shut and you hear a click when they have been closed properly.

Continue to add 12 pairs of rings on either side of the lure.

Insert a single jump ring at the end.

When you take the time and care to make something for someone, it has special meaning. It's the thought and effort you put into the making of it. It's the love you put into it, too.

When you make something that relates to the passion that someone has, they will be thrilled to receive it and they will know that you love them enough to take the time to make something special.

There are all kinds of themed gifts you can make, use your imagination and have some fun in the process.

The bracelet comes from the Greek work “brachile” and was more widely used around 50000 BCE. Items like wood, stones and bones were used to make what is today known as the bracelet. They were also used as a sign of affluence, for religious purposed and to bury with the dead in mummy wraps. (1)

Rare cases of much older bracelets were found at burial sites, such as the one in Siberia in 2008 by Russian archaeologists that dated back to 40,000 BP. (2)

The smaller, more delicate version of the brachile were popularized by Greek women of affluence and to this day are a favorite adornment for both men and women.

The friendship bracelet could even be a reminder of the red and white thread that Bulgarians used to tie around their wrists to urge Spring to arrive sooner. (3)

(1) (2) (3)