Beads or gold first, then the length for your wrist, then what to ask about the stones
Choose beads or gold first. A bead strand is light, easy to wear every day, and the black diamond bead bracelet sold 133 in the year, most of what shoppers took home from these twelve. If you want gold to show, the tennis rows set black stones in 14K. Each listing calls the stones natural black diamonds but stays silent on treatment, so raise that on the live chat.
Beads or gold: black diamond bead bracelet or tennis bracelet
A bead strand is mostly stone, and the slim ones weigh next to nothing. Of the three, two are steel and 14K gold at 3 and 4 mm, and the third is 7 mm on an adjustable woven cord. Beads were 139 of the 161 pieces bought in the year.
Three gold tennis rows hold the stones in prongs, the 3.9 mm Buttercup, a 4.5 mm row set upside down and the three-row Black Elegance at 7.8 mm. Four more prong-set pieces run from a slim 2.8 mm line to 11.7 mm. An evil eye and a silver skull and cross round out the twelve.
The stones: real, natural or treated black diamonds, and AAA
Every listing names its stones natural, meaning mined, not grown in a lab. A black diamond is a true diamond, dark from dense inclusions, and most sold today are darkened further by heat or irradiation. No listing says if that color is the stone's own or added, so ask before you pay.
Expect shine, not sparkle. AAA, printed on nine listings, is a trade grade for even color and polish, not a lab grade. Total carats run from 0.76 on the skull and cross to 64.20 on the 7 mm cord.
Length: black diamond bracelet size, 7 inch or a small wrist
Nothing here is listed under 7 inches. Five pieces come at 7, the tennis rows among them, and five more run 7.5 to 9. The 3 mm bead strand offers 7, 7.5 or 8, and the skull and cross 7.5, 8 or 9. Wrap a soft tape where a watch would sit and add about half an inch.
For a wrist under 6.5 inches, ask the live chat for a quote on a shorter strand. A length made for you cannot come back.
Metal: steel and 14K gold beads, 14K gold, 10K or silver
Seven pieces are 14K gold and one is 10K, and five of those eight offer yellow, white or rose. The 3 mm and 4 mm strands list steel and 14K gold without saying which parts are gold, so ask. The 7 mm strand lists stainless steel and the skull and cross .925 silver.
The evil eye is black rhodium plated over white gold, a coat that can thin with wear. The two smaller strands weigh about 3 and 5 grams, the tennis rows 10.5 to 21.8.
Buying: the clasp, returns and what to ask first
Most listings never name the clasp. The Buttercup tennis row shuts with a lobster clasp, the upside-down row with a box clasp, and the Black Elegance adds two safety latches to its box clasp.
Unworn and unaltered, with the box it came in, a bracelet from stock may be returned inside fourteen calendar days of delivery. Ask customer service first at service@traxnyc.com or 212-391-3832, and we issue the return label. Restocking takes five percent, and the return shipping is deducted too. Custom work stays final. Bring the item number to the live chat, or call or text 212-872-9692 from 10 AM ET.