How to Tie a Turquoise Bracelet Inspired by Grand Prismatic Spring

 

Some places stay with you long after the hike is over. For me it was Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone, the largest hot spring in the United States: a pool of deep blue ringed in yellow, orange and rust. I came home wanting to make something to remember it by. I thought about drawing it. In the end I tied it, as a turquoise bracelet in the spring's colors.

If you've ever wondered how to tie a bracelet that holds raw stones without a clasp, this is a good one to start with: the whole piece uses a single knot. And turquoise has had a big year, the stone jewelers kept reaching for at this summer's trade shows. What I love about this one is that it carries a story, not just a color.

The palette, from the center out

Grand Prismatic gets its colors from heat-loving microbes. The hottest water at the center shows a clear, deep blue; as it cools toward the edges, mats of microbes tint it yellow, then orange, then rust. The bracelet follows the same order. Raw turquoise sits in the middle like the blue pool, warm tan petrified wood and red agate chips flank it, and deep brown and light brown organic cotton frames everything like the mineral banks around the spring. An orange waxed cord runs through the core.

What you'll need

Supplies

• Deep brown organic cotton cord
• Light brown organic cotton cord
• Orange waxed cord (the core and the closure tails)
• Blue thread for wrapping the ends
• A raw turquoise nugget
• Red agate chips
• Petrified wood chips

Tools

• Scissors
• A soft tape measure or a piece of string

How to measure wrist size before you start

Wrap a soft tape measure, or a piece of string you can lay against a ruler, around your wrist just below the wrist bone. Keep it snug but not tight. Because this is an adjustable bracelet, also measure around the widest part of your hand with your fingers and thumb pressed together: the closure has to open that wide to slide on, then close down to your wrist.

Gather and string the stones

1. Step 1: Lay out your spring palette

   

   Gather deep brown and light brown organic cotton cord, an orange waxed cord for the core, a blue thread for the finish, and your stones: a raw turquoise nugget, red agate chips and petrified wood chips. Line the stones up in the order you want them, turquoise in the middle and the warm tones on either side.

   Why it matters: Setting the color order on the table first means you decide the design once, before anything is threaded or tied.

2. Step 2: String the stones onto the waxed core

   

   Thread the stones onto the orange waxed cord in the order you laid out, keeping the turquoise at the center of the group.

   Why it matters: The waxed cord is the spine of the bracelet: every knot is tied around it, and the stones ride on it between the two knotted sections.

   
   

   Pro Tip

   String every stone before you tie a single knot. Once the square knots cover the core, nothing new can slide on.

How to tie a knot for a bracelet: the square knot

The whole band is one knot repeated: the square knot, the most basic knot in micro-macramé. Learn it once and you can tie the entire bracelet.

3. Step 3: Line up the knotting cords

   

   Lay the cotton cords alongside the waxed core so they run parallel and untangled, with the strung stones moved to one side out of the way.

   Why it matters: Cords that start straight and side by side give you even tension, and even tension is what makes every square knot the same size.

4. Step 4: Tie the first half of the square knot

   

   Bring the left cord across the front of the core so it forms a loop. Pass the right cord over the left cord's tail, behind the core and up through the loop, then pull both cords snug.

   Why it matters: This half on its own is the half knot. Repeat only this side and the band twists into a spiral, the knot from our spiral knot bracelet tutorial.

5. Step 5: Mirror it to complete the square knot

   

   Now start from the right: bring the right cord across the front of the core, pass the left cord over its tail, behind the core and up through the loop. Before you tighten, the two cords wrap the core in a figure-eight shape. Pull snug and keep alternating sides.

   Why it matters: Alternating sides is what locks each knot and keeps the band flat instead of spiraling.

Finish the ends with a wrap

6. Step 6: Work past the stones and wrap the ends

   

   When the knotting reaches the stones, slide them snug against the last knot and knot the other side of the band the same way, so the stones sit between two knotted sections. Finish the end of each section by wrapping the blue thread tightly around the cords, then trim the cotton tails close.

   Why it matters: The wrap covers the cut cotton ends and holds the last knot in place, and it adds a band of spring blue at both ends of the bracelet.

How to tie an adjustable bracelet closure

The closure uses the same square knot again, tied around both tails so it slides.

7. Step 7: Tie the sliding square-knot closure

   

   Cross the two waxed tails so they overlap, then tie square knots around both of them with a short separate cord to make a slider. Finish each tail with a small knot so the slider can't slip off.

   Why it matters: The slider grips both tails, so the bracelet opens wide enough to slip over your hand and closes down to your wrist with no clasp.

FAQ

What does turquoise mean?

Turquoise is one of the oldest protection stones in jewelry history and is often called the traveler's stone. Many cultures carried it on journeys as a talisman for safe passage, and it is the birthstone for December. In this bracelet it is the blue pool at the center of the spring: a small reminder of the trip, and of the next one.

What is the meaning of red agate?

Red agate is usually associated with courage, steadiness and staying grounded. Here its warm orange-red stands for the outer rings of the spring, where the water has cooled.

What does petrified wood symbolize?

Petrified wood is wood that slowly turned to stone, so it is often read as a symbol of patience and lasting change. Yellowstone has its own stone forest: on Specimen Ridge, trees buried by volcanic flows about 50 million years ago still stand upright. Everything in the park, petrified wood included, stays in the park, so buy your stones from a supplier.

How do I tighten a knot bracelet like this one?

Hold the slider and pull the two waxed tails away from each other; the bracelet closes down to your wrist. To loosen it, hold the bracelet on either side of the slider and push the slider apart. The small knots at the tail ends stop it from coming off.

Is a square knot the same as a slip knot?

No. A slip knot is a single loop that pulls out when you tug the free end, so it won't hold a bracelet shut for long. The closure in this tutorial is a sliding square knot: it moves along the tails when you pull them but stays put while you wear it.

How do I measure bracelet size for an adjustable bracelet?

Measure two things. Your wrist, just below the wrist bone, is the size the bracelet should close down to. The widest part of your hand, with your fingers and thumb pressed together, is the size it must open up to so it slides on. A sliding closure covers everything between the two.

Same knot, next trail

Once your hands know the square knot, this pattern works for any place you want to remember: swap the stones and the cord colors for another landscape and you have a new bracelet. If you'd rather wear this one than tie it, you can find it among our turquoise bracelets. Each is an adjustable bracelet with the same sliding square-knot closure, which also makes it an easy national park gift for the hiker in your life: no wrist size to guess.