Our recent trip to Punta Cana really prepared me for warmer weather and summer. I’m always looking for small shell crafts for my large shell collection. I’ve told you many times how much I love walking on the beach and finding seashells. I do this for hours every day. When I came across a snail shell bracelet (Sarasota Shell Bracelet) on Free People’s website, I wanted to find a way to make my own easy DIY snail shell bracelet.
Supplies needed
I used 24 snail shells. The amount of shells needed depends on the size of the shells and the size of your wrist. I have tiny wrists. (Of course you could also make a snail shell necklace out of it if you made it really long)
I use shells from shark-eye moon snails (Neverita duplicata) and northern moon snails (Euspira Hero) grenades. The Shark Eye has a dark eye at the top of the spire. And the bottom is closed, meaning the shell’s hole at the bottom in the middle of the shell is covered, while the northern moon snail has an uncovered hole in the middle of the shell. (Learn more about all mussels)
Here you can see what I mean:
I also want to make a bracelet with American Mud Snails or Mud Dog Snails (Tritia trivittata) if I find enough this coming summer.
Video tutorial on how to make a snail shell bracelet
I always have a video so you can see what I did with my hands during the project. If it doesn’t load here on my blog, you can watch it on my YouTube channel instead. I had a hard time concentrating on drilling and my hands were in the way. Excuse me!
Step-by-step instructions
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Step 1: How to clean the snail shells before use
Snail shells in particular can hide all kinds of bacteria and even parasites deep in their spiral shell. You can soak them in peroxide or a solution of water and bleach, but the bleach can discolor the shells. Discoloring the shells can also look pretty, which is what I needed for my shell flower tutorial.
Boiling the peels helps prevent discoloration while still destroying bacteria and diseases hidden within. After cooking or soaking, allow them to dry completely.
Freshwater and land snails, for example, can harbor parasitic worms that can transmit schistosomiasis, a chronic disease. (You can read a lot more information about snail-borne parasitic diseases)
This isn’t meant to scare you, just to make sure you handle it correctly. I have never had any problems with the snail shells that I have collected since I was a child.
Step 2: Drill holes in the bowls
I drilled holes with both the hand drill and the Dremel. The hand drill takes much longer and is better if your shells are brittle.
If they are sturdy like these snail shells, using a Dremel with a small drill is a quicker and easier solution.
I used an old cutting board to drill my shells. Simply hold the shell with one hand and the drill bit with the other hand while slowly pressing the shell with the rotating drill bit.
As mentioned, I needed 24 snail shells for my bracelet. Therefore, drilling may take some time and the Dremel definitely speeds up the work.
Step 3: Thread the shells onto the tension cord
Start by wrapping some of the elastic stretch cord around your wrist to see how much you need, adding about 10cm to be safe.
To keep the snail shells from slipping off again while I’m working on threading them all onto the string, I attached a small clip to one end about two inches deep.
Slide all of the shells onto the cord and wrap them repeatedly around your wrist to make sure you have enough shells for the circumference of your wrist.
Tips and other ideas for making a snail shell bracelet or shell bracelet
- If your elastic/stretch band keeps breaking or tearing, you can instead thread the shells on a wax cord or hemp cord and attach a macrame slide knot clasp instead, like I did in my square knot bracelet tutorial (check out the tutorial at Step 2: Adding the Bracelet’s Adjustable Clasp). That’s what I’ll do if mine breaks. You can also hang it from a bracelet chain by inserting small jewelry-making jump rings into the holes and attaching them to the bracelet. However, I prefer the look of the lined up shells.
- These elastic shell bracelets look great when you combine them with other shell bracelets.
- You could add beads and other embellishments to the stretch cord, but I prefer the look of the plain shells
Where to buy snail shell bracelets
If you don’t feel like making them yourself, there are always great places to buy them. Etsy is always my favorite source for supporting small businesses and shops.
More shell craft ideas
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little jewelry project.
Bye,
Materials
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Snail shells (or other shells also work, of course)
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elastic stretch band for jewelry making
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Flat, protected surface for drilling like on an old cutting board
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(small clip or paper clip is optional)
Tools
-
Micro hand drill or Dremel (also known as electric rotary tool)
-
small drill
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Scissors
Instructions
- How to clean snail shells before use
Snail shells in particular can hide all kinds of bacteria and even parasites deep down in their spiral shell. You can soak them in peroxide or a solution of water and bleach, but the bleach can discolor the shells. Discoloring the shells can also look pretty, which is what I needed for my shell flower tutorial. Boiling the peels helps prevent discoloration while still destroying bacteria and diseases hidden within. After cooking or soaking, allow them to dry completely.
Freshwater and land snails, for example, can harbor parasitic worms that can transmit schistosomiasis, a chronic disease. (You can read a lot more information about snail-borne parasitic diseases)
This isn’t meant to scare you, just to make sure you handle it correctly. I have never had any problems with the snail shells that I have collected since I was a child. - Drill holes in the bowls
I drilled holes with the hand drill and the Dremel. The hand drill takes much longer and is better if your shells are brittle.If they are sturdy like these snail shells, using a Dremel with a small drill is a quicker and easier solution.
I used an old cutting board to drill my shells. Simply hold the shell with one hand and the drill bit with the other hand while slowly pressing the shell with the rotating drill bit.
As mentioned, I needed 24 snail shells for my bracelet. So drilling can take some time and the Dremel definitely helps speed up the job.
- Thread the shells onto the tension cord
Start by wrapping some of the elastic stretch cord around your wrist to see how much you need, adding about 10cm to be safe.To keep the snail shells from slipping off again while I’m working on threading them all onto the string, I attached a small clip to one end about two inches deep.
Slide all of the shells onto the cord and wrap them repeatedly around your wrist to make sure you have enough shells for the circumference of your wrist. - Tie the ends
Once you have enough shells on your cord, knot the elastic cord tightly and voila, you have a beautiful snail shell bracelet.
