Make a Bracelet from Scrabble® Tiles

Before: Scrabble® tiles

Today is the second day of our Valentine's Day series and we made a bracelet from old Scrabble® tiles from one of our many sets with lost or missing pieces. After a lot of playing and discussion, my daughter and I decided the bracelet should read "True Love." My favorite part of the bracelet is that it can be worn so the letters are visible or hidden-- depending on the mood of the wearer.

After: Tile Bracelet by GeltDesigns.com

Again, we limited the creative time for our project to 30-minutes.  

Materials
Scrabble®  letters
22 jump rings
18-gauge round brass wire
Spring clasp

Tools 

After: Scrabble® Tile Bracelet 

Automatic center punch

Drill
Size 41 bit
Chain nose pliers

Step 1
Select the Scrabble® tiles and arranged them in order.

Drill tiles

Step 2

Tile with four holes

Mark the Scrabble® tiles with an automatic center punch and then drill the holes in the tiles. For the first and last tile, drill three holes. For the remaining tiles, drill four holes (one in each corner of the tile).

Since we used vintage wooden tiles, the studio smelled really nice when my daughter did the drilling. Not sure exactly what wood these tiles were made from, but the aroma told us they were quality hard wood.

Add jump rings to tiles

Step 3
Feed a jump ring through each drilled hole. Close the jump rings using your pliers.

Step 4
Use your pliers to attach the tiles to form a chain by adding a jump ring between the jump rings on each tile. Check each jump ring to be sure it is closed.

Step 5
Make an "S" or "figure 8" link and attach it to the center drilled hole at one end of the bracelet.

Add Clasp

Step 6
Add the clasp to the other end of the bracelet.

Related Tutorials
How to Make Jump Rings
How to Drill
How to Use a Drill Press for Jewelry Making
How to Use a Dremel to Make Jewelry
How to Use a Flex Shaft to Make Jewelry 

True Love Bracelet

Further Reading
"500 Bracelets: An Inspiring Collection of Extraordinary Designs (500 Series)"; Lark; 2005.
"The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary"
"The Scrabble Word-Building Book: Updated Edition"


Day 80.  Month 4. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent to date: 0
Found materials: Scrabble® tiles
New Jewelry a Day.