How to measure your wrist for a bracelet (without a tape measure)
Most people guess their wrist size and get it wrong by a centimetre or two. That is enough to make a bracelet sit too high on the forearm, or leave a mark that you notice by the afternoon.
You need something flexible. A strip of paper, a piece of string, or a charging cable will do, plus a ruler.
Where to measure
Wrap the strip just below the wrist bone, on the side closer to your hand. That is where a bracelet rests. Measuring higher up the forearm gives you a number one or two centimetres too large.
Pull the strip snug, not tight. If you can slide a finger under it, it is too loose. Mark the point where the end meets the strip, lay it flat, and measure against the ruler.
Add a centimetre
A measured wrist is not the same as a comfortable bracelet. Add about one centimetre for a bracelet that moves a little. Add two if you want it to hang low. Subtract half a centimetre if you like a close fit and you are not planning to wear it all day.
Elastic bracelets need less allowance because they stretch. Knotted cord needs the extra room, since a tight knot cord does not give at all.
If you fall between two sizes
Round up for anything with a clasp or a sliding knot. Round down for elastic only if the difference is under half a centimetre, because elastic relaxes with wear and a bracelet that starts tight will usually end up comfortable.
For hand-woven bracelets, the useful move is to order with your measurement in the order notes. Most small studios will braid to a size at no extra charge. Ours do.
A quick sanity check
Hold up a bracelet you already wear and like. Measure its inside circumference flat on a table, from clasp to clasp if it has one. If that number matches your wrist measurement plus allowance, you have your size. If you do not own a bracelet, a watch strap that fits well also works.
Common mistakes
Measuring over a sleeve adds two to three centimetres and is the most frequent error.
Measuring the wrist you write with while it is bent gives a smaller number, because the wrist widens when the hand flexes.
Using a rigid ruler around the wrist is impossible to do accurately. The strip method exists because fabric and paper follow the curve.
Sizing is not something to agonise over
Almost every bracelet can be resized or restrung. If you get it slightly wrong, contact the studio rather than returning the piece. A resized bracelet still fits the wrist it was measured for.
Proyoo bracelets are hand-knotted in adjustable and fixed sizes. If you have a measurement, leave it in the order notes and we will braid to it.
