DIY Free People Wrapped Quartz Bangle

Jan 16, 2014 | DIY | 18 comments

Hello again, friends! I just couldn’t wait to share this chic and easy bangle bracelet project with all of you.

I am always drawn to rough, organic crystals and gemstones rather than perfectly-faceted pieces, and much of the jewelry available at Free People satisfies that sparkle-lust. I fell in love with this Crystal Flame Cuff by Vega Jewelry, but the $258 price tag was much more than I could afford. I realized I could easily make the same kind of look for a steal – hence this project. (And it’s so, so quick to whip up!!) Here’s how I made my newest FAVORITE bracelet:

You Need*:

bangle with open part at center / quartz crystal / flat suede cord / scissors / glue for metal/leather (pictured is E6000, but of course it is #$@$ and I had to switch to Loctite Vinyl, Fabric and Plastic Adhesive since E6000 didn’t work AT ALL.) / Optional: gold leafing kit (not pictured)

*all my materials, except for the crystal, were found at Michael’s craft store.

How To:

1. Figure out the placing of your crystal. I liked the crack in the middle, and with the space in the bangle you should be able to partially “seat” your crystal in the bangle.

2.Squeeze a small amount of glue onto the end of the suede lacing cord.

3. Start by placing the lace into the underside of the bangle, allowing the glue to set for a minute.

4. Hold the end down and wrap around the crystal tightly.

5. Repeat a couple times (I found I liked 3 times around the crystal), then put a dab of glue on the underside of the cord again. Press the cord down until set.

6. Trim excess cord.

7. Repeat for the other side of the crystal.

8. Optional: For a more luxe look, use a metal leafing kit (glue + leafing) to adhere some gold to the top of the lacing, brushing off the excess with a soft brush.

And that’s it!

Pretty simple, huh? I have to say, it is a spectacular result!

I even made another bracelet, with some dyed quartz and brown suede (that I may add some silver leafing to later).

How gorgeous would these look stacked with other delicate bangles and bracelets??! Happy DIY’ing!

xo
Carly

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18 Comments

Erin @ Thanks, I Made It on January 16, 2014 at 7:34 pm

This came out beautifully! love the cuff base–can’t believe it was from michaels!
Erin @ Thanks, I Made It recently posted…DIY Around the World: South Korea
- carlyjcais on January 16, 2014 at 7:56 pm
  
  Thank you, Erin! Yes, it was from Michael’s – it was in a 2-pack with a different style of cuff. It was kind of hidden in the boxes lining the bottom of the jewelry aisle. I was really pleased to come across it – you never know what you’ll find rifling in there! 🙂
Hayley on January 16, 2014 at 9:19 pm

I totally think you should leave the brown suede as-is, something about the blue crystal with the brown – I love it! Really reinforces the rough beauty of the bangle.
Hayley recently posted…Denim Deal of the Day: Stitch’s Jeans at 88% off!
- carlyjcais on January 17, 2014 at 6:57 pm
  
  Thank you, Hayley! I’m kind of going back and forth on it myself – I don’t wear a whole lot of brown – but I could see how nice it would look with some suede slouchy boots and an ivory blouse! So boho chic: exactly what Free People is all about.
- patricia on July 18, 2014 at 11:24 pm
  
  no adored the glitter now to find some leaf its wow n wow ty
Samantha on January 17, 2014 at 6:19 am

This is great. I’ve had this in my inspiration board for months and months.
Samantha recently posted…10 stylish DIY storage boxes
- carlyjcais on January 17, 2014 at 6:56 pm
  
  Thanks, Samantha! I’ve had it on the back burner for awhile too – Free People jewelry always lends itself really easily to DIY, I think! 🙂
Eunice on July 18, 2014 at 3:49 pm

Thank you, this gave me inspiration, and after that these bracelets turned out beautiful… Gotta make more:)
- carlyjcais on July 18, 2014 at 6:03 pm
  
  You’re welcome, Eunice!! Glad you liked them – they’re so easy to make and look gorgeous no matter what 🙂
patricia on July 18, 2014 at 11:27 pm

wish I knew how to save this
- carlyjcais on July 21, 2014 at 6:40 pm
  
  Thanks Patricia! How do you mean? You can highlight all the text and photos, copy and paste into Word or Textedit or something similar to read later or print for your own usage. Hope that helps!!
patricia on July 21, 2014 at 7:37 pm

I somehow went back a page to save the patten was days ago now well done & appreciate yr sharing
mia on March 31, 2015 at 8:06 pm

Great DIY! I am having the hardest time find nice quartz. Where were you able to purchase your quartz?
- carlyjcais on April 8, 2015 at 4:40 pm
  
  Thank you, Mia! It is really hard to find nice quartz, I agree. I bought mine in bags from Ed’s House of Gems in NW Portland. If you don’t live in this area, some places you could get undrilled quartz are: Ebay, Fire Mountain Gems, or Etsy. I really like Fire Mountain Gems cuz all their stuff is awesome, high-quality, and they give you a free gift with purchase!
Zee on December 23, 2016 at 4:27 am

Hi Carly beautiful DIY! Question – how do you apply the gold leafing? Using E6000?
- carlyjcais on December 31, 2016 at 12:40 pm
  
  Hi Colleen – no, E6000 is too viscous and thick for gold leafing. Often gold leafing is sold with the appropriate glue; I believe I used it all up so I used Mod Podge – thinned out with water. I had to brush on the Mod Podge and let sit for a minute or two until very slightly tacky – then it worked great. The edges of the Mod Podge dried out faster than the center so it took a little trial and error til it was the perfect tackiness to adhere the leafing. Hope that helped!
ZEE on December 30, 2016 at 3:09 pm

Hi Carly, may I ask what glue you used for the gold leafing?
- carlyjcais on December 31, 2016 at 12:48 pm
  
  Mod Podge, thinned out! (check out my below answer to you) Hope that helps 🙂