How to Style a Pandora Bracelet Part 2 - The "ABC" Method

The ABC method of styling a Pandora bracelet is one of our favorite methods of styling at Swag. It yields consistently stunning results as you can see from this finished example on the left. It is also really quite easy to do.
To understand this method, it helps to go back and start with the basics...the clips. Every Pandora bracelet has two center threads made for special beads called clips to fit over them. As I mentioned in the Part 1 entry, these clips serve to not only protect your bracelet by preventing beads from sliding all over and wearing down the threads, but it also divides the bracelet into three easy to work with sections. These three sections are the "building blocks" for what we call the ABC method, as well as other methods of styling your bracelet. At the store, we always encourage clips as a Pandora customer's first purchase as they so strongly affect both the look and the function of the bracelet.
In each of the three sections created by the clips, you will now build a repeating pattern of beads. In each section the bead in the corresponding position should be of a similar shape, color, and style; hence this bead is given the same name, such as "A" bead. So you would have three "A" beads, one in each section of the bracelet and each placed in the starting position (furthest left) of its corresponding section and then you would move on to selecting and positioning the "B" beads. These are again three beads that have a similar shape, color, and style. The "B" beads are then placed in the same space (next to "A") in each corresponding section. Your three beads that go into the same position may or may not be the exact same bead. They should, however, be similar in size and style so this styling method will make sense. For example, if you choose a Murano glass bead as your "A" bead for section 1, your other two "A" beads should also be Murano glass, although they need not be the same pattern or color. With the ABC method, you should be able to quickly divide all of the beads on your bracelet in groups of three. Here is a picture of all the beads on our featured bracelet grouped into their corresponding name of A, B, C, and so on.

You can see from this picture, some groups simply repeat the exact same bead, while others repeat the same bead but in a different color, while still other groups do not repeat the same bead at all but keep the overall style or feel of the same by being consistent in color, size, or shape.
Keeping a plan like this in mind, a customer does not have to build the entire bracelet all in one visit to the store. However, there is a strategy in mind, and that keeps the bracelet balanced and beautiful even from its most simple beginnings. Here are some photos of our featured bracelet in various stages of the build. It may not yet be complete for the customer, but it is still accomplishing a finished and polished look by building on the ABC styling method from the beginning.

There it is. One method of styling a beautifully finished Pandora bracelet as easy as "ABC". My next entry will continue the Pandora Styling series with and explanation of the "Center Out" method we use at Swag.