Odds are, if you’ve been living anywhere except under a rock you will have noticed Chan Luu‘s beautiful beaded wrap bracelets, which have been making the rounds everywhere from the Internet to the wrists of celebs since at least last year.
A little bit boho, a little bit dressy, these bracelets come in turquoise, jade, silver, and a whole variety of semiprecious stones and metals, woven onto leather cords, to add a bit of color and flash to your wrists.
Amazing DIY’er and beader Ruby Mines shared her tutorial last year for making your own (that won Fan Favorite in The Ultimate DIY Competition on Cut Out + Keep!)…and I have to say, I just couldn’t tell the different between the original and her version!! (I think she’s taken down her tutorial since I can’t find it any more…sorry!)
(Edit 4/19: In the comments a reader mentioned a video tutorial for this bracelet done by SewPetiteGal. Check it out if you’re looking to make your own version. Thanks for the heads-up!)
Now Alloy.com has come out with the exact same style of bracelet…except for $14.90. (And using glass, plastic, and wood beads and polyester cording.)
Which would you buy? Pay homage to the designer who came up with the original…or be frugal and snap up the cheaper version? Does the Chan Luu version deserve its $170 pricetag…and is it more ethical as a consumer to buy it?
Discuss!;-)
xoxox
Carly
images from the respective websites above; photo array by me.
~If you liked this post, please share it!~
Too easy to make it yourself to pay $170. Here is a tutorial on how to make it. http://sewpetitegal.blogspot.com/2010/11/leather-wrap-bracelet-video-tutorial.html
Thanks! I hadn’t come across that tutorial before – I’ll ad it in to the post above.:-)
I make my own using real leather and metal or gemstone beads and sell for only $34!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/bonnybeedesigns
I am a fan of DIYing but don’t see any reason there should be such a huge markup for a product whether it is designer or not! Overcharging for these items just exacerbates the problem of the large income gap in our world.
Bonnie recently posted…PROJECT- Cobalt Blue Skirt
Chan Luu didn’t invent this style of bracelet. I’ve read folks over on Etsy talk about making this kind of bracelet back in the ’50’s at camp.
I think the main differences between a real Chan Luu and a cheap ‘knock off’ are the quality of materials and workmanship. I don’t mind making my own, for a lower cost out of high quality leather cord and semi-precious stones. But it takes forever!
I don’t like buying disposable quality accessories made of plastic. I’m not a snob, I just like to buy classic pieces once, rather than tons of disposable trendy items. So, my preference is to either buy from an Etsy artisan, Chan Luu, Make it myself, or don’t have one at all. 🙂
Kat recently posted…Hi there 🙂 I’m under construction!