What Is a Daisy Chain Bracelet?

How is a beaded daisy strung, step by step?

Each daisy is made on one continuous thread: the petal beads are strung in a line, the needle passes back through the first petal bead to pull them into a circle, and then a centre bead is threaded through the middle of that circle to lock the flower flat.

Written out it sounds fiddly. In the hand it becomes rhythmic within about ten flowers, and after that the only thing you are really managing is tension: too loose and the petals splay while the centre bead wanders, too tight and the cord will not sit around a wrist without digging in. That, and sorting your beads first, is most of the difference between a daisy chain that looks made and one that looks manufactured.

• String six petal beads and slide them down to your working thread.
• Pass the needle back through the first petal bead in the same direction. The six beads pull round into a ring.
• Pick up one centre bead in a contrasting colour, usually yellow, white or a small pearl.
• Pass the needle through the fourth petal bead, the one directly opposite where you started. The centre bead is now trapped in the middle and the flower sits flat.
• Add a spacer bead or two and start the next flower, or carry straight on for a solid run of daisies with no gaps.

Daisy chain, charm bracelet, friendship bracelet: what is the difference?

A daisy chain is defined by its woven flower motif, a charm bracelet by the objects that hang from it, and a friendship bracelet by knotted embroidery thread rather than beads at all.

The names get muddled because real pieces borrow from more than one category. Here is the honest comparison, using our own bracelets as the examples.

How do we make ours at Luxe by Zee?

Every Luxe by Zee daisy is woven by hand at my table in Karachi, one flower at a time, and a full daisy strand takes me roughly an hour and a half from the first bead to the finished knot. That is a rough figure from my own making, not a measured average.

I buy glass seed beads in small quantities and sort them by shade before I start, because two lots of lilac bought a month apart are rarely the same lilac. On the pieces with pearl centres I match the pearls by size too, since one half a millimetre too big pushes the petals apart and the flower loses its shape.

Elastic pieces get a surgeon's knot, a dab of clear glue, and the knot pulled back inside a bead so it never sits against skin. Clasped pieces get a gold-tone lobster clasp and a chain extender, which is what gives the Lilac Daisy Pearl Bracelet its 16 to 19 cm range.

Because everything is strung by hand, no two pieces are truly identical. If you have seen a combination on our Instagram and want it repeated, send me the photo through the custom order form and I will tell you honestly whether I still have those beads.

What size daisy chain bracelet should I order?

Order S (15 cm), M (17 cm) or L (19 cm) for stretch pieces, or send us your exact wrist measurement and we will build to it; for an elastic daisy chain, add roughly 1.5 cm to your bare wrist measurement so the bracelet clears the wrist bone comfortably.

M at 17 cm is the size I make first when nobody has given me a measurement, because it suits a bare wrist of roughly 15.5 to 16.5 cm. S at 15 cm suits slim wrists, teenagers and children. L at 19 cm suits larger wrists, and anyone who likes a bracelet to sit loose and slide when they move.

If you are buying a gift and cannot ask, choose a clasped piece with an extender: the Lilac Daisy Pearl Bracelet adjusts from 16 to 19 cm and the Daisy Charm Chain Bracelet from 16 to 20 cm. If you would rather measure properly, our bracelet size guide walks through the thread-and-ruler method.

How do I look after a daisy chain bracelet?

Keep it dry, put it on after perfume and lotion rather than before, roll elastic pieces on and off instead of tugging them over your hand, and store it flat rather than in a heap with chains.

• Water is the main enemy. Take it off before wudu, showers, dishes and swimming.
• Perfume and hairspray dull glass and can weaken elastic over time, so jewellery goes on last.
• Rolling an elastic bracelet on is much gentler on the cord than stretching it over your knuckles.
• Store it flat on the card it arrived on, or in a small pouch, so the daisies do not snag on other jewellery.

Which Luxe by Zee daisy piece should I start with?

Start with the Daisy Charm Chain Bracelet at Rs 220 if you want something quiet enough to wear every day, or the Lilac Daisy Pearl Bracelet at Rs 380 if you want the full woven daisy strand.

Delivery is Rs 200 flat anywhere in Pakistan and free over Rs 2,500, paid cash on delivery or by bank transfer. Karachi orders usually arrive in 1 to 2 working days and the rest of the country in 3 to 5, counting the 1 to 2 days it takes me to make and pack the piece.

• Daisy Charm Chain Bracelet, Rs 220. A delicate gold-tone chain with a single hand-woven daisy, adjustable 16 to 20 cm. The one that disappears into how you already dress.
• Butterfly Daisy Bracelet, Rs 320. A pastel bead stack with your choice of butterfly or daisy charm, in S or M, built to be stacked two or three deep.
• Lilac Daisy Pearl Bracelet, Rs 380. A full strand of hand-woven lilac daisies with pearl centres, on a gold-tone chain extender.
• Lavender Bloom Bracelet Set, Rs 450. Two bracelets, one daisy weave and one single strand, meant to be layered or split between two wrists.