Choose the bead first. Plain 14K gold beads, or gold with black onyx, make the everyday bracelet, and more than half of what sold here was one of those. Black diamond beads are the showpiece, and a colored stone brings its own shade. For a man's wrist, take 8 mm beads, the size that sold best. Most bracelets here adjust, so you set the fit yourself.
The beads: gold bead bracelets, onyx, tiger eye, turquoise and pearl bracelets
Start with gold. Every gold bead here is 14K, and the best seller, plain gold on a black cord, is diamond-cut to throw light. Onyx is a black quartz that shrugs off daily wear. Tiger eye is a brown quartz with a band of light that moves as the wrist turns, and it outsold every other gemstone bracelet. Turquoise, malachite, green agate and garnet also sit between 14K gold beads, and so do cultured pearls. The table shows which stones want a gentle hand.
Black diamond beads: black diamond bead bracelet and bead chain
Take black diamond beads when the piece has to be seen. They took about a third of the sales here. Each bead is a natural black diamond, drilled through the middle, and nothing you wear is harder. The carat figure adds up every bead on the strand, which is why a single bracelet can read over 60 carats. The listings grade them AAA, a trade grade and not a lab report. The metal on most of them is steel, and two add 14K gold.
Bead size: 8 mm, 6 mm or 4 mm beads on the wrist
Take 8 mm beads for a man's wrist. It is the best-selling size, and it reads from across a table. Drop to 6 mm for a lighter strand, the size of both pearl bracelets. The 4 mm strands are fine enough to stack beside a watch. Black diamond beads tend to run smaller, down to 2 mm on the chain. A big bead takes up room inside the circle, so an 8 mm strand fits tighter than a fine one of the same length.
The fit: adjustable bead bracelets, the sliding cord and sized ones
Most bracelets here adjust, so the wrist size matters less. The gemstone and pearl bracelets close on a sliding clasp or cord, and so does the gold best seller. Slip the loop over the hand, then pull the two ends until it rests on the wrist. The black diamond bead bracelet is sized instead, in 7, 7.5 or 8 inches. Measure the wrist snug and add half an inch. A few never say how they close, the onyx accent bracelet among them, so ask us first. The shortest necklace is 16 inches, snug at the base of the neck.
Men or women: bead bracelets for men, for women and as a gift
Any bead suits either wrist, so buy the bead size, not the label. Most pieces here sit in our men's case, and many in the women's too. The 8 mm gold and stone strands read bold on a man. The ladies' onyx bracelet and the pearls sit finer on a slim wrist. For a gift, a stone can double as a birthstone, garnet for January, pearl for June and turquoise for December. The wider choice is in men's bracelets, women's bracelets and necklaces.