I thought I was very clever with this bracelet, incorporating the design into the clasp. Do you ever just have that moment of "brilliance" when I an idea comes to you that you think is just, well, brilliant! That's what I thought of this clasp idea. The red beads are positioned where the red crosses are. I created holes in the bracelet for the beads to fit through.
The circle at the top of the bead is the "safety clasp". You wrap it around the other bead to ensure the beads don't fall back through the hole.
The other advantage to this type of peyote stitch bracelet clasp is that the bracelet runs all the way around, you don't have that gap where the clasp is.
I haven't even talked about how much I love this bracelet! I think it is my favorite design to date, that's why I named it after my very dear friend, Robin. Adding brick stitch elements to a peyote bracelet gives it some dimensional interest. If you are not familiar with brick stitch, then check out my tutorial - A Lesson in Brick Stitch - Hexagon Bracelet. Speaking of the Hexagon bracelet, I finished it with a magnetic clasp. I love this idea because, again, it allows the bracelet to wrap all the way around and it's super easy. You just have to make sure your bracelet fits the clasp opening.
In my quest to find a unique peyote stitch bracelet clasp, I turned to Google, but there wasn't much to find there either. Mostly the beaded bar and toggle, some a little more intricate than others. A couple of interesting ideas on Etsy, but I'm not here to promote Etsy stores.
I did find this beautifully done beaded toggle clasp by Alex Zonis - Bead Woven Bracelet. Isn't it beautiful? The bracelet was done on a loom, the triangle is peyote and herringbone stitch.
This clasp by Nancy Cain is clever and beautiful. Of course, all of her work is simply amazing, but I like this piece because the clasp IS the necklace.
Here's another clasp that blends so well with the design of the necklace, it doesn't really look like a clasp. Check it out at Catrinajewels.
I love these toggles sent to me by a fellow beader, Valerie. My jaw dropped when I saw her pictures. Literally. Thank you, Valerie, for sharing.
Yes, they are the classic bar and toggle clasp, BUT, the way she continues the bracelet design into the clasp is extremely creative.
They made me feel like such an amateur. I was finishing up this butterfly bracelet and decided to try to up my game with the clasp. Using size 15's and then 11's, I got this warped triangle that I folded over, and by a miracle it looks like butterfly wings. I'm sure you see it too. The butterfly bracelet is next week's post.
I hope I have given you inspiration for your next peyote stitch bracelet clasp. I know I can't wait to figure out how to incorporate some of these ideas into my next project.
I would love to hear from you, what do you think of these clasps?
