I have been making mommy bracelets for many years. Like every other jewelry maker out there, I regularly review the bracelets that are currently being made. I have discovered there are some big differences in not just design, but also construction and this can make a big difference on the life of your treasured piece of jewelry.

A mother's name bracelet or mommy's bracelet as it is sometimes referred to is a bracelet that has the name or names of your loved ones as part of the design. They should be constructed to stand the test of time. They should also be made to add new strands should the need arise. they are truly a heirloom to the wearer and as such, they should be expected to be hardy and rugged!

There are several different styles of letter beads out there of varying quality. The best are made in the USA. They seem to have the most quality control and the nicest fonts. There are also letter beads that come from Bali. These are darker and not quite as white as the US sterling silver letters. Designers are also using silver plated letters and pewter letter beads.

If you like gold, there are gold plated over sterling silver or vermeil letter beads. Vermeil does wear after a while and it can look awful. I do not recommend vermeil. Although I have heard of gold-filled letter beads, I have personally never found a supplier. The sizes of these beads range a few millimeters in difference. Although a few millimeters does not sound like a lot, there is actually enough difference that you should ask before you buy what size the beads are throughout the entire bracelet. Letters go from the smallest at 4.0mm, 4.5mm, 4.8mm (my favorite size). 5mm, 5.5mm, 5.8mm and 6mm.

As a designer, I like to keep the letters as part of the design rather than the focal point so all my beads run between 4.0 to 6.5mm. I use 4.8mm USA sterling silver letter beads. I only buy sterling silver beads purchased from a reputable dealer. This way I can be pretty sure they are sterling silver. Many cheaper suppliers unscrupulously pass off plated beads as sterling. There is a big difference in sterling beads and plated. A 5mm sterling bead right now is about $.15 ea. A plated bead costs about a nickel a piece.

The same is true for Bali beads. Many beautiful Bali beads are being cast in pewter and plated in silver. They are about half the cost of real sterling silver Bali beads. I have recently restrung a competitors bracelet for a new customer only to find plated Bali beads instead of sterling. She thought they were sterling silver. This is a shame because as the plated bead wears it turns metal gray with absolutely no shine at all. Nice sterling silver Bali beads will tarnish, but they will always have a beautiful patina.

Swarovski crystals are the best lead crystal bead you can buy. However, some chinese bead companies have gotten pretty good at imitating these beads. Inexperienced jewelry makers can be fooled. That in turn means you are getting a lower lead content bead that will just not give the same sparkle as a real Swarovski crystal. Many people refer to their crystals as Austrian. Unless they say Swarovski, than do not assume that they are. Swarovski crystals are about twice the cost of imitations.

Bottom line, when you are ready to buy a bracelet you are paying for what you get. If the price is too much lower than the competitors, there may be a reason. Last year, I had a lady contact me and ask me (as she was crying) if I could remake 3 bracelets she had purchased as Christmas gifts for her family. She tearfully told me that she had looked at my bracelets but had decided to buy the cheaper ones. She was very disappointed in the quality and promptly paid me for mine. In the end, she told me she would never buy the cheapest product again. These gifts were too important to her to give substandard jewelry as a gift. She was happy with the bracelets I made!

Next, everybody who makes beaded jewelry has a cimping technique. Most use cheaper 2X2mm crimp beads. They work OK but you will get a much securer bracelet when the strand is crimped with a larger 2X3mm crimp bead. The best crimping and finishing techniques uses a jewelry adhesive as well. This is a lot more work but makes a big difference in bracelet longevity. Ask your designer how they crimp. I use a flat rather than a European crimp with about 1 inch of wire restrung back into the bracelet with a dab of adhesive on the wires at the crimp on both sides of the bracelet.

All findings (crimp beads clasps, toggles, chain) should be either sterling silver or gold-filled. Plated materials will degrade quickly leaving an old, ugly looking bracelet. Wire is also an important component of a well-made bracelet. At very least, bracelet makers should be using a multi-strand wire with a break stregnth of at least 15 pounds. Multi-strand wire that has 19 strands or more will suffice with 49 strand wire being the best. These higher stranded wire kinks a lot less often so you bracelet will also maintain its shape better.

People use closures as way to cut corners in cost. A small lobster cost about $.85 ea. A nice Bali toggle will cost between $2.00-$4.00 and higher. Despite many people's fears about toggles, if they are fitted correctly (.75-1.0 inches larger than the actual wrist measurement) they rarely come undone. If you are really concerned about this, ask the designer to add a safety chain that attaches the 2 ends of the bracelet together and still allows you to pull it over the wrist. I prefer ones that uses a small lobster or spring ring so it can fit tight enough not to allow it to fall over the hand if the toggle comes undone and the can be unclasped when the bracelet is removed. Don't be suprised if it costs $3.00-$5.00 more. It is a small price to pay for security. A beautiful toggle adds a lot to a pretty bracelet. It is part of the appeal. Keep this in mind when pricing bracelets.

One of my last points concerns the spacer beads between the letter beads. I have seen designers use crystal, round beads and pearls. Crystals and pearls should never be used. They are too soft and the silver letter bead will eventually chip or flake the pearls or crystal. Round beads are big and clumsy looking and are a sign of inexperience or cost cutting. The best type of bead to place between the leter is a bicone or saucer bead. Most letter beads have large holes for stringing, about 3mm. Most wire is .018mm wide. This means the letter beads, if left on the wire, would move around a lot making the letter beads look out of line. The letter beads need a bead to stabilize them on the wire. Bicone and saucers bead are shaped in a way that they can fit into the holes on the letter bead slightly locking them into a straight line. Round beads make the letter beads looked crooked because they do not fit as niceley into the holes of the letter beads. Look for a bracelet constructed with a silver or gold bicone or saucer beads.

There are many differences in designing. Designers have different tastes as do buyers. The trick is to find a design you like and then look at it carefully making sure it is made to last. Remember, Bali beads are more expensive that plain round beads. Gold-filled beads costs more than sterling silver. Crystals protected by bead caps (sterling or Bali silver beads especially designed to have a bead sandwiched between 2 caps) are less likely to chip. Round beads with spacers (daisy spacer) in between will be less likely to show any wire while being worn. Sterling silver or gold-filled toggles cost more than lobster clasps. All of these things really help distinguish a cheaply made bracelet from a better quality bracelet.

Good luck finding that perfect bracelet and try this search. Just copy and paste it into the search field. It has all of the riffraff excluded:  name bracelet -italian, -charm, -ID, -14k, -hand, -12k, -vintage, -rhinestones, -rhinestone, -3d, -pressie, -personalised, -leather, -9ct, -pendant, -10k, -heart, -10kt, -bolton, -ankle, -stainless, -necklace, -wire, -10kt, -bolton, -ankle, -stainless, -necklace, -wire.