If you were of a sentient age during the 1990s, you’ll likely recall the mass friendship bracelet-making craze which spanned beyond the decade into the new millennium.
During this period of recent history, tweens and teenagers would spend their summers weaving intricate chevron-pattered bracelets for one another to signify lifelong friendship. We’d wear these little pieces of artisanal excellence until they became stringy messes that only the creator in question could recognise as their own work.
After all, cutting off friendship bracelets was considered to bring the worst of luck. This is why you’d often find schoolchildren arguing with PE teachers over the purported lack of safety associated with wearing jewellery during sports lessons.
The Eras Tour is a Swiftie extravaganza that sees the singer move through a multitude of smash-hit songs from her 12-album-strong oeuvre, which began with her debut self-titled album, released back in 2006.
Paired with the re-release of myriad albums, moving through Swift’s bygone eras has filled lifelong fans with an incredible sentimentality while introducing younger kids to the very same teenage joy and angst we experienced when her first albums were initially released.
In part, it is this newfound sense of childhood and teenage joy which has sustained the global return to the art of making friendship bracelets and trading them with pals both new and old. The real impetus for the trend, however, is the lyric from Taylor Swift’s ‘You’re On Your Own, Kid’, which is on the album ‘Midnights’.
Swift implores us to “make the friendship bracelets / take the moment and taste it” and the world has most definitely listened. Whether you’re looking to craft your own beaded creations in time for the European leg of The Eras Tour, or you simply feel inspired by the nostalgic trend, we’ve curated a selection of the best bead kits for making friendship bracelets below.
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Ultimate A-Z Alphabet Friendship Seed Beaded Bracelet Set
Filled to the brim with beaded letters galore, you can bet that you won’t run out of essential vowels and consonants when spelling out your favourite song lyrics. The set comes with 15 different colours of classic beads, a section of mixed colours, and various circular beads featuring multi-coloured hearts, stars and smiley faces. It also comes with a 1mm clear elastic string and a stopper peg.
Buy now £21.60, Etsy
Clay Bead Friendship Bracelet Mix
This value-for-money clay bead bracelet kit makes stringing together colourful friendship bracelets easier than ever. The disc-shaped clay beads are easier to manoeuvre thanks to their slightly larger size and 2mm hole diameter. The kit includes an impressive 6,300 beads including smiley faces, gold spacers, evil eyes, charms and lobster clasps. It also comes with four rolls of elastic string, tweezers, miniature scissors and even some earring hooks.
Buy now £13.99, Amazon
Jewel Mix
Looking for a slightly more unique and colour-coded bead selection? Lynn Firth Designs on Etsy has got you covered. The seller has a beautiful selection of 50g bead tubes which each include an assortment of shapes, sizes and bead types in themed colourways. Each tube contains a mixture of Miyuki Japanese beads, Toho Japanese beads, Czech fire-polished beads and other miscellaneous beads.
Buy now £5.95, Etsy
Mixed Y2K Beads
This Y2K-inspired selection of brightly coloured, floral and smiley beads would make a brilliant addition to any friendship bracelet-making kit. Choose from two different size packages depending on how large a selection you’re after.
Buy now £4.25, Etsy
Small Handy Box of 2mm Metallic Seed Beads
These sparkling, iridescent beads are sure to make your friendship bracelet designs stand out above the rest. We’re particularly big fans of the jewel-toned selection which remind us of a pirate’s bounty.
Buy now £3.99, Etsy
Flowers & Leaves Surprise Spring Garden Bead Mix
Czech glass beads are a crafter’s delight. Their unique and larger-than-usual appearance adds sparkling ephemerality to handmade bracelets. The 25g mystery bag is sure to contain a selection that’ll suit any pastoral-inspired project.
Buy now £3.95, Etsy
Red and pink glass beads box with jewellery clasps
Flying Tiger is home to a variety of flower-shaped bead kits which each have different colour themes. Each kit includes practical jewellery clasps and a lovely selection of glass beads.
Buy now £4.00, Flying Tiger
Artdot 800pcs Letter Beads
Running out of letter beads no matter how hard you try to conserve vowels by using hearts and clear beads? Artdot provides a selection of letter beads in different colours to supplement your bustling collection.
Buy now £5.99, Amazon
