(continued from Designing a Pipefish Bracelet)This bracelet was such a fun one to make, and I still very much enjoy wearing mine. In fact, this piece is purchased by more husbands (under instructions from wives and daughters!) than any of our others. But what I hadn’t expected were the problems our stores had with people trying them on! So I asked around, and according to some experienced jewelry makers around the world, cuff bracelets are notoriously tricky! So this post is dedicated to helping people with that.
Fitting the Cuff Bracelet
The bracelet is like a wrap – no clasp, and adjustable to fit your wrist. We especially like it on the wrist with the pipefish head closest to the hand (see below). Others like to wear it further up the forearm. Wear it however you like but, please note – once you shape it, we recommend minimising additional bending; over years this will make the silver brittle. Its like a paperclip – bendable to your need, but bend it back and forth and metal will eventually break. Adjustments are no problem, just make sure you aren’t opening and closing it each time you wear it. Ideally the head and the fan-like caudal fin (aka, the tail!) gently capture the arm to prevent it from falling off.
Start with the opening. Make sure the opening – distance between head and tail (left image below) – is just narrower than the thinnest measurement of your wrist (top to bottom, right image below)
Step 1. Point the pipefish head toward your fingertips, and start from the right side of your arm (outer on right arm, inner on left arm)
Step 2. Pull it across the wrist, keeping the head on top the wrist (drag the fan tail across the underside of your wrist, and around the top)
