Bracelets - Beauty For The Wrist

Bracelet is a piece of jewelry that adorns the wrists. It can be made from different materials such as leather, metal, cloth, or even wood. Bracelets are not only used as adornments but also serve serious purposes such as an identification tag in hospitals and medical IDs that state a person's allergies and illnesses.

Brief History of Bracelets

Bracelets came from the Latin word "brachile," which means arm. During the Ancient Greek and Roman ear, soldiers wore bracelets made of leather straps that have gold and silver embellishments. Women soon followed wearing them, but instead of using arm bands as the men do, they adjusted the band to fit their wrists, thus, the bracelet.

Purposes of Bracelets

Bracelets are used for decorative purposes, and with the popularity of precious metals and precious stones, bracelets have become expensive. But there are other kinds of decorative bracelets that need not be expensive such as homemade bracelets, which are made out of a string and beads of different colors. Friendship bracelets have also been popular and are given as gifts to signify friendship. These are made not of gold and silver and gemstones but of leather or ribbons bound together to form a pattern and is usually made by the giver herself for the receiver of the friendship bracelet. It is said that a friendship bracelet is to be worn until it breaks off on its own or until the cords are worn out. If removed prior to these stated above, it means that the relationship has gone sour. Another story that comes with friendship bracelets is that the recipient of the friendship bracelet must make a wish, which will only be granted if and when the friendship bracelet is worn out and falls off naturally.

Sometimes a bracelet is used to mark personal moments in one's life. This is seen in charm bracelets. For every pendant or trinket that is attached to the bracelet, it means a significant event or a very important incident in the wearer's life. But for beautification purposes, some charm bracelets are created just for its beauty without a single trinket or pendant meaning a thing.

Another purpose of bracelets is to accentuate one's style and identify. The most common form of this bracelet is the spike bracelets. Spike bracelets are usually made with leather with metal spikes decorating its side. This is more commonly used by the punk and heavy metal generation.

Bracelets are also used for serious purposes like medical ID bracelets and hospital tags. These kinds of bracelets often contain a person's information like drug allergies and illnesses, which makes it much easier for doctors and nurses to treat the patient accordingly during an emergency. They no longer have to look for relatives and family members just to get the information of the patient, but relevant data are seen in the medical ID bracelets.

Customizing Your Bracelets

You do not have to buy bracelets from the mall or jewelry stores, you can create your own. There are many craft stores that have materials for making bracelets. They even include little trinkets and pendants that you can attach to it. They even have books with instructions on how to make elaborately-patterned friendship bracelets.

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