Home / Journal / How to Measure Your Wrist for a Beaded Bracelet (20 mm Guide)
Written by the BEADORO studio · Updated October 2026 · 5 min read
Measure your wrist with a strip of paper, a piece of string or a tape measure, then add 1-2 cm (0.4-0.8 in) of ease. Every BEADORO bracelet is strung on strong elastic cord with an inner circumference of about 18.5 cm (7.3 in), so it fits 16-19 cm (6.3-7.5 in) wrists - relaxed on 16-17 cm, just right on 17-18.5 cm, snug on 18.5-19 cm. Custom sizes are strung on request.
Wrap a strip of paper or a piece of string snugly around your wrist bone - not tight, just touching the skin - mark where it meets, then lay it flat against a ruler. That number is your wrist circumference. If you have a soft tape measure, use it directly. Do this on your dominant hand if you are not sure which wrist the bracelet is for; it is usually slightly larger.
Add 1-2 cm (0.4-0.8 in) of "ease" so the bracelet can move. A bracelet that measures exactly your wrist size will feel tight and will press on the wrist bone when your hand swells in warm weather. This is why stretch bracelets are so forgiving: instead of one exact measurement, they cover a range.
| Wrist 14-16 cm (5.5-6.3 in) | Wearable, sits loose and slouchy - message us if you want a snug custom strand instead |
| Wrist 16-17 cm (6.3-6.7 in) | Relaxed fit - comfortable, easy on and off, the way most people wear it |
| Wrist 17-18.5 cm (6.7-7.3 in) | Just right - the beads sit close to the skin without pressing |
| Wrist 18.5-19 cm (7.3-7.5 in) | Snug but wearable - the cord stretches over the hand, beads sit close |
| Wrist over 19 cm (7.5 in) | Message us before ordering - we will tell you honestly if it will be tight |
Traditional clasp bracelets have to be made to the millimetre, which is why jewelry sizing is such a headache. Elastic-cord bracelets are different: the cord gives a centimetre or two in each direction, so one well-made size fits the large majority of adults. That is the whole reason BEADORO makes a single size - a 20 mm bead on a 12-bead strand with an inner circumference of about 18.5 cm, built to fit 16-19 cm wrists - instead of a shelf of near-identical options nobody can choose between.
If you cannot measure the person, buy stretch. It is the safest gift in jewelry because it does not depend on a number you do not have. Three practical shortcuts:
No - it is a deliberate statement size. For reference: 8-10 mm reads subtle and disappears under a sleeve, 12-14 mm is the everyday middle ground, and 20 mm is the bold one that people notice across a room. Because the beads are large, the strand uses fewer of them (12 instead of 20+), so a 20 mm bracelet is surprisingly light on the wrist despite its size.
Contact us within 30 days and we will sort it out under our money-back guarantee. Stretch cord is also easy to live with: roll the bracelet on and off rather than pulling it over your hand, and it will hold its shape for years instead of months.
Yes - a 6 inch (15 cm) wrist can wear the standard strand, it just sits loose and slouchy instead of close. If you would rather have a snug fit, message us and we will string a custom smaller size for you.
Elastic cord relaxes very slightly in the first weeks and then stays stable for years. To slow it down, roll the bracelet on and off over your hand instead of pulling it, keep it out of prolonged direct sun, and store it flat rather than hanging.
Buy a stretch bracelet - it fits a 16-19 cm wrist, so you do not need an exact number. If you think their wrist is much slimmer, ask us about a custom size first. If you want more confidence, measure a watch or existing bracelet they wear, or ask a friend or family member to measure their wrist without telling them why.
20 mm beads are a statement size, but because the strand uses only 12 beads, the bracelet stays light and sits close to the skin. On a 15-16 cm wrist it reads bold rather than oversized, though the standard strand will sit loose and relaxed, which plenty of people prefer - ask us about a custom fit if you want it snug. If you prefer something quieter, look at the matte Ivory finish, which visually weighs less than a glossy bead.