From expensive watch and gemstone bracelets to hand-made items, bracelets can be an expressive accessory for myriad settings. While many bracelets are custom made for your specific wrist size, and others come in standard sizes (7 inches for women, 8 inches for men,) some are handed down or given as gifts and must be size-adjusted.
Screwed Pin Bracelets
Place the bracelet into a vice to avoid scratches.
Place a screwdriver end into the bracelet screw opening, typically found on one of the sides of the bracelet which both holds the jewelry together and determines the length of the bracelet (tighter is shorter and looser is longer.) Turn the screwdriver, typically right to make it tighter and left to make it looser, making sure the screw moves.
Turn the screw until the bracelet is resized to the right length.
Split Pin Bracelets
Put the bracelet inside a bracelet sizing block to secure it.
Insert and push the pin pusher into the rounded end of the link pin.
Push the pin all the way out of its slot in the bracelet. A small hammer works if the pin is stuck.
Re-insert the pin into the desired link. Use the pin pusher to secure it into the slot.
Non-Pin Bracelets
Locate links with elevated nibs. There should be circular cut-outs on the metal sheet of the links that will allow you to re-size the bracelet.
Push the links with the elevated nibs downward so that the circular cut-out on the link fits a new nib further down the link -- making it smaller.
Listen for a clicking sound indicating that the link is re-secured onto its new nib.
Tip
Use a scewdriver that has a blade width matching the length of the slot.
References
Writer Bio
Greg Ruland began writing professionally in 1978. His work has been published most recently in "Sedona Red Rock News," "Cottonwood Journal Extra," "Lifestyles of Sedona" and the Sedona Red Rock News Website. Ruland holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Oregon School of Law.