A bracelet is jewellery that is worn on the wrist. Bracelets can be made of leather, cloth, metal or synthetic materials, and can have rocks, wood or shells inlaid or attached.
As well as fashion items, bracelets are also used for identification and medical purposes, such as allergy bracelets and hospital tags.

Metal and Silicone “Awareness” Bracelets

Recently Nike and Lance Armstrong, through the Yellow Livestrong wristband, popularized coloured silicone rubber as a material for producing sports bracelets. Their success has led to ‘awareness’ bracelets being used as low-cost tools for information campaigns and charity projects. These sports bracelets are also known as baller ID bands, wristbands or baller bands.

Charm Bracelets

A charm bracelet carries personal charms: decorative trinkets or pendants which are signs of important factors in the wearer’s life. In more recent times, Italian charm bracelets have become fashionable. While traditional charms hang from the bracelet, Italian charms feature individual pieces soldered directly onto the link of the bracelet itself.

Bracelets that are in solid form are referred to as bangles or bangle bracelets. They can be textured, smooth or set with stones. In India, glass bangles are popular. They’re made from ordinary glass that is about 3-6mm in width, and worn in sets, so that moving your arm causes the bangles to make a sound like the chinking of wind chimes.

Azabache Bracelets (a gold bracelet or necklace with a black/red coral charm formed like a fist) are part of Latin culture. “Mal de ojo”, or “evil eye”, is believed to occur from the excessive admiration or envious looks by other people. Having newborn babies wear an azabache, is believed to protect them from the evil eye.

Debossed, & Embossed, & Printed – Oh My!

There is often a lot of confusion regarding the various styles of custom silicone wristbands. Many people confuse embossed bracelets with debossed bracelets (even some silicone bracelet suppliers!) and are uncomfortable with printed wristbands. Throw in the option of laser-engraved wristbands and they throw up their arms in surrender.

Debossed Wristbands

Debossed wristbands are the most common and are the same style as Lance Armstrong’s trendsetting LIVESTRONG bracelets. Debossed refers to the fact that the design is actually recessed down into the wristband itself. To accomplish this, a custom bracelet mold is manufactured that incorporates whatever customized design that is desired. Because they require a mold to be manufactured, custom debossed bracelets are more expensive and take longer to produce than printed bracelets or laser-engraved bracelets.

Embossed Wristbands

Embossed wristbands are not nearly as common, yet they are an excellent choice if you are looking for a custom silicone bracelet that is more stylish and unique. An embossed bracelet also incorporates any custom design and requires a mold to be manufactured. However, with embossed bracelets, the fully customized design is raised up off the wristband as opposed to recessed down into the wristband. Pricing and turnaround times for embossed bracelets are very similar to that of debossed bracelets.

Printed Wristbands

Printed wristbands are by far the most economical choice. Printed bracelets start with a blank wristband and are then silk-screen printed. The “technology” for screen-printing wristbands has come a long way. The dyes used today actually penetrate the silicone rubber of the wristband. Many people are under the impression that the print which is used on printed bracelets is cheaply painted on and will crack or flake off. With a reputable custom silicone bracelet manufacturer, this simply is not the case. You can expect the printing to last the lifetime of the silicone wristband itself. Printed bracelets do not require a mold to be manufactured. Instead, a template is produced that is used to apply the custom design onto the bracelets. Because a template is used rather than a mold, printed wristbands are less expensive with quicker turnaround times than debossed and embossed wristbands.

Laser-Engraved Wristbands

Laser-Engraved wristbands are becoming more and more popular. Quite frankly, they are very inexpensive to produce, yet many silicone wristband suppliers still charge exorbitant prices. Laser-engraved bracelets duplicate Lance Armstrong’s popular LIVESTRONG debossed style. For smaller orders of 5,000 custom silicone bracelets or less, laser-engraved wristbands are your best choice if you prefer this popular debossed bracelet style. Similar to printed bracelets, laser-engraved bracelets start with a blank wristband. A simple setup program allows a laser-engraving machine to engrave the custom silicone bracelets to the exact specifications of whatever fully customized design that is desired. Laser-engraved bracelets do not require a mold to be manufactured; therefore, they are less expensive and enjoy quicker turnaround times than debossed and embossed bracelets.

The Best Choice

So, what is the best choice when it comes to selecting between debossed, embossed, printed, and laser-engraved wristbands? The answer is that it is always a matter of personal preference. One style that is becoming more popular is the laser-engraved wristband that is then color-filled. This replicates the most popular LIVESTRONG debossed look while incorporating an appealing contrast of colors. The cost is a little more since the color-fill is actually an oil-based paint that must be applied by hand, but, by choosing laser-engraved bracelets over the more expensive molded debossed style, you end up getting the debossed look and color-fill together for about the same price as just a plain debossed bracelet. Regardless of your personal preference, it is imperative to select a custom silicone wristband manufacturer that does not hit you with hidden fees for setup, mold, and shipping expenses. Whomever you select, look for a pricing structure that offers one low price that includes everything – setup, design, mold, and, most importantly, shipping fees. This will prevent any unwanted surprises.

About the author:

Clark A. Swihart is the CEO and founder of The Awristocrat, an on-line store specializing in the production of Custom Silicone Wristbands at phenomenally low prices. No Setup, Mold, or Shipping Fees! Get yours today at www.TheAwristocrat.com.

Written By: Clark A. Swihart

For you it could only be a few dollars, but the money you pay for every rubber cancer bracelet goes towards the noble cause of cancer research. What prompted ace cyclist Lance Armstrong to hit upon the idea to use rubber cancer bracelets to fund cancer research? No one knows. But the signature yellow rubber cancer bracelets worn by the seven-time Tour de Force champion and cancer survivor quickly caught on as a common fundraising tool. And young people soon turned wearing them – in all colors and with all kinds of messages stamped on them – into a trend.

The rubber wristbands have been around for decades as ‘baller bands’ – worn by basketball players because of restrictions against metal jewelry. But the trend really caught on with Armstrong’s cancer bracelets.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation says that more than 52 million ‘LiveStrong’ bracelets have been sold already! But millions of other rubber cancer bracelets have also been sold. And that is without counting the millions, maybe billions, of all other kinds of rubber wristbands that have been sold or are being sold all over the world – rubber bracelets for tsunami relief, for showing support to American troops, for just about anything, and nothing! In fact, they are now the coolest thing that anyone can sport on one’s wrists. Though called rubber bracelets, these are actually made of synthetic rubber, or silicone gel.

When you buy a LiveStrong rubber cancer bracelet, $1 from its proceeds is donated to the Lance Armstrong Cancer Foundation! That is, $52 million has been raised for cancer research already! The LiveStrong rubber cancer bracelets are made by sportswear major Nike. Cancer is 1the second largest cause of death in the United States and one out of four deaths will come from cancer

Now you have a different color rubber cancer bracelet for different types of cancers. In terms of popularity, after the yellow rubber cancer bracelets come the pink ones. The pink rubber cancer bracelets are worn as a show of support for breast cancer patients. There are still more colors of bracelets for colon cancers, prostrate cancers, and so on. But it is well nigh impossible to do a color-coding chart for the rubber cancer bracelets and the types of cancers they represent. Simply because so many of them are being brought out by different organizations across the world.

There are people who take wearing their rubber cancer bracelets seriously, and there are those who hate the sight of them. But it can’t be disputed that these rubber wristbands have brought charity into the life of the common man. They have also succeeded in bringing some of the bitter realities of existence – as well as joys – into the plane of society’s consciousness like never before.

About the author:

Shannan Barrett looks at how those rubber cancer bracelets have changed society’s attitude towards the unfortunate people who develop the disease. Learn more about rubber cancer bracelets at http://www.a1-awareness-bracelets.com/rubber-cancer-bracelet.html

Shannan Barrett is an avid reader and market researcher. She dedicates much of her free time helping the underprivileged and finds the charitable aspect of the ‘bracelet craze’ amazing, especially with Lance Armstrong’s ‘Live Strong’ foundation.

Written By: Shannan Barrett

A bracelet is an article of clothing or jewelry, which is worn around the wrist. Bracelets can be manufactured from cloth or metal, and sometimes contain rocks, wood, and/or shells. Bracelets are also used for medical and identification purposes such as allergy bracelets and hospital tags. In the late 1980s, “snap bracelets”, felt-covered metal bracelets that curved around one’s wrist when gently hit against it, were a popular fad.

Nike and Lance Armstrong popularized the recent use of colored silicone rubber as a material for producing sports bracelets through the Yellow Livestrong band. Its success has led to the use of these ‘awareness’ bracelets as low cost tools for information campaigns and charity projects. These sports bracelets are also known otherwise as ‘baller id bands’, ‘wristbands’ or ‘baller bands’.

The in-line thin diamond bracelet that features a symmetrical pattern of diamonds is called a tennis bracelet. According to Diamond Bug, in 1987 Chris Evert, the former World No. 1 woman tennis player and the winner of 18 Grand Slam singles titles, was playing in the U.S. Open. She was wearing an elegant, light in-line diamond bracelet, which accidentally broke and the match was interrupted to allow Chris to recover her precious diamonds. The ‘tennis bracelet’ incident sparked a new name for the item
and sparked a huge jewelry trend. Tennis bracelets continued to be worn by various tennis stars like Serena Williams and Gabriela Sabatini.

Although the term ‘armlet’ may be technically similar, it is taken to mean an item that sits on the upper arm. The origin of the term ‘bracelet’ is from the Latin ‘brachile’ meaning ‘of the arm’, via the Old French ‘barcel’. Taken in the plural, bracelets is often use as slang for handcuffs.

Wristbands
Wristbands are encircling strips worn on the wrist, made of any of a variety of materials depending on the purpose. The term can be used to refer to the bracelet-like band of a wristwatch, to the cuff or other part of a sleeve that covers the wrist, or to decorative or functional bands worn on the wrist for other reasons.

One common type of wristband is the loops of plastic or tyvek that are placed around the wrist for identification purposes (demonstrating the wearer’s authorization to be at a venue, for example).

Silicone wristbands
More recently, wristbands, often made of silicone, are worn to demonstrate the wearer’s support of a cause or charitable organization, similar to awareness ribbons. Such wristbands are sometimes called symbands to distinguish them from other types of wristbands.

One of the first charitable organizations to make use of silicone wristbands as a way of demonstrating support for a cause was the yellow Livestrong wristband created in 2004 by the Lance Armstrong Foundation. By early 2005, symbands became popular with many charities, such as Make Poverty History and the BBC’s Beat Bullying campaign.

There is also another type of Wristband called Web band. It is an online version of the real wristband.

About the author:
For more information visit, Bracelets

Written By: David Chandler

Initially used for spreading awareness about cancer, custom rubber bracelets are now the darling of every non-profit organization – both for awareness generation and as a great fundraising tool. The Red Cross has its own red custom rubber bracelets for supporting Tsunami victims, while the relatives of American servicemen wear green custom rubber bracelets bearing the message ‘Support our troops.’ Besides, each cancer charity has its own custom color bracelets! Custom rubber bracelets also serve as a fashion statement. That’s one of the main reasons for their popularity. Ace cyclist Lance Armstrong had returned to win the Tour de France title for a record seventh time after his successful fight with cancer wearing one of these rubber bracelets. Since Lance Armstrong cycled to victory wearing his famous yellow LiveStrong rubber band, the Lance Armstrong Foundation has sold 52 million rubber bracelets and contributed millions to cancer research. Snapping at the heels of the LiveStrong cancer rubber bracelets in popularity, we have the pink breast cancer awareness bracelets.

There are rubber bracelets worn by Hurricane Katrina rescue workers and custom rubber bracelets with the tsunami theme as well. You also have NBA, MLB, and NASCAR custom rubber bracelets, rubber bracelets with team symbols, or ones with any specific designs you like.

Now you can even design your own custom bracelets: when you shop online you can have silicon custom-embossed extra wide bracelets, twice as thick as the standard silicone bracelets; you can select the colors, the design, and the text you want to print. There are colors and designs that glow in the dark. Obviously, the more you want to customize your bracelet, the more expensive it becomes. Silicone, leather and metal custom bracelets are more expensive then the rubber ones. The former, though, are really great fundraisers.

There are also screen-printed silicone bracelets. These cheaper than the embossed versions. Contact the custom rubber bracelet agencies and they will provide you with the different color and design options they have for their bracelets. Once you select your color, design, and even the material (whether silicone, metal, or rubber), the agency will send you a full color proof. You can make further additions or any other changes to the proof. Once you are satisfied with the design, the agency starts the production of your custom bracelet.

Custom rubber bracelets are used as identification devices. In hospitals, custom bracelets are worn by patients. These bracelets have all the medical information of the patient imprinted on them. This is really useful in emergency situations when doctors can access all the information they need from the patient’s wrist. Newborn babies have bracelets around their wrists for identification in neo-natal wards.

Custom rubber bracelets are not just about a message or an attitude, but they are now important information tools as well.

About the Author

Lisa Hyde-Barrett, a registered nurse and wellness advocate has become passionate about the new research behind cancer and the fundraising efforts supporting it. http://www.buy-rubber-wristbands.com

Written By: Joseph Barrett

Those colorful loops of rubber should be quite familiar to you by now. Yes, we are talking about rubber band bracelets. They have become ubiquitous in the last couple of years. You can see them on the wrists of Tsunami aid workers, citizens campaigning for a cause, and even the on wrists of school children. The rubber band bracelets have become the most-preferred and the most inexpensive way to show your support for a cause, or to donate to charity, or to raise awareness about an issue or a disease. You can see them used for extremely different purposes, such as to proclaim one’s religious affiliation, or as a fashion statement! The rubber band bracelet is the modern way of wearing your heart on your sleeve, er wrist!

What are rubber band bracelets? They are simply loops of solid rubber, worn on the wrist by stretching and sliding them over the palm of one’s hands. They come in any color imaginable — yellow, orange, blue, green, black, pink… Some are translucent, others glow in the dark… And they are worn in support of many a message or cause — they are as versatile as they are stretchable! Not all rubber band bracelets are rubber, though. Some of them are made of silicone.

You can have any message stamped over the rubber band bracelets, or designs crafted on them. In fact, some of the latest rubber band bracelets sport more than one message! Rubber band bracelets usually sell for $1-5 a piece, and can be ordered online from many Web sites, in multiples of five hundred, or smaller packs of a dozen or more. The manufacturers often give discounts for the larger orders.

The most famous of the rubber band bracelets is the yellow ‘Livestrong’ wristband worn by cycling champion and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong. The pink ones are worn to show support to breast cancer patients. SHeDAISY’s ‘Come Home Soon’ yellow rubber band bracelets (named for the group’s Top 15 single) with the words ‘Come Home Soon’ stamped on them are highly popular among relatives of American servicemen.

The rubber band bracelet is a very useful and inexpensive tool for crowd control: it is used as a cheap identifying device in restricted access events attended by large numbers of people, such as music concerts. The rubber band bracelets are also issued by hospitals to their patients as identifying devices with some basic medical information stamped on them.

So what makes these rubber band bracelets so popular? Sociologists say people have always used amulets in times of trouble. Now we are just using them in a more positive way. Yes, rubber band bracelets are more than simple loops of rubber; they represent the human urge to fight and survive great odds.

About the Author

Shannan Barrett analyzes what makes most people sport rubber band bracelets and comes up with some interesting findings on what makes them so popular. Know more about rubber band bracelets at http://www.a1-awareness-bracelets.com/rubber-band-bracelet.html.

Written By: Shannan Barrett

In the last two years custom rubber bracelets have invaded our life. And despite fashion gurus pronouncing them a ‘passing fad’ they are still around — and are still climbing the popularity charts. So what makes the custom rubber bracelets so popular? Highly customizable and cheap: those are the two qualities that make these rubber wristbands so popular.

The custom rubber bracelets can be custom-manufactured for any purpose: charity, crowd control, storing medical information, fashion… And the ordinary ones usually cost just around $1 a piece — yes, with all those customized messages and colors.

What are custom rubber bracelets? Well, they are simply colorful rubber loops that can be stretched over one’s palms and worn on one’s wrist. And they usually have some message stamped on them, such as ‘Come Home Soon’ (that is popular with the relatives of American servicemen) or any other message. Some big hospitals even stamp information such as a patient’s name, medication, timings, etc on the rubber band bracelets. This allows the hospital staff to quickly access the vital info without referring to a file in an emergency situation.

Well, that is only one aspect of their customization ability. They can be ordered in any color — yellow, green, pink, black, translucent, glow-in-the-dark… there is a color for everything. The yellow ones are the most well-known, popularized by ace cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong. In fact, it was Armstrong’s ‘LiveStrong’ custom rubber bracelets that kicked off the trend of wearing rubber bracelets.

Then followed numerous others: there were custom rubber bracelets for tsunami relief, to show support to American troops, to rally students against bullying, as a tool for crowd control, for just being trendy… Soon there was a flood of those colorful solid rubber loops. By the way, the custom rubber bracelets needn’t be really rubber. They are also made of silicone.

Recently there has been a flood of criticism against the custom rubber bracelets, caused mostly by the numerous rubber wristbands that have been popping up all around with all kinds of silly messages. Does that mean society is getting fed up with the custom rubber bracelets?

Not by a long shot. Custom rubber bracelets are going to be around, whether their popularity rises or wanes. Because they are so useful little devices, that can be put to use in a number of situations. They may go out of fashion or come into fashion, but they will always be around in some form or other, in some situation or another.

About the Author

Shannan Barrett looks behind the mist of fashion surrounding custom rubber bracelets to find why they will be around even if they go out of fashion. Learn more about custom rubber bracelets at http://www.a1-awareness-bracelets.com/custom-rubber-bracelet.html

Written By: Shannan Barrett

Symbols of solidarity and empathy in the face of adversity. That is what the ubiquitous yellow rubber bracelets of Lance Armstrong’s Live Strong Foundation are. But when the ace cyclist who overcame cancer to win the Tour de France seven times in a row promoted his signature yellow rubber wristbands, little did he know that he was kicking off a global trend. Today rubber bracelets are no longer just about cancer; they have become the ultimate fundraising tool for charities. What is more, they have become simple, highly customizable talismans of hope and optimism for human beings fighting against the bitter realities of life.

It is this quality of personalization that is at the core of the lure of rubber bracelets all over the world. They now come in all colors and with all kinds of messages stamped on them. The Red Cross has issued red rubber bracelets for tsunami victims, and the relatives of American servicemen are sport green ones with the message ‘Support our troops’ stamped on them. Then there are the yellow rubber band bracelets for cancer research support. Then there are the striped ones coloured like the rainbow, the translucent ones, the ones with twin messages… You’ll find as many types of those rubber bracelets as there are people around!

You may know someone diagnosed with cancer, you may happen to know a tsunami victim, you may have a relative or friend in Iraq or Afghanistan. Each time you see that rubber loop on your wrist you will be reminded of them. That is the beauty of it all. They are not something you leave at home when you go to work. They are an ever-present reminder of the cause you support, the no-so-fortunate brethren you care for.

And these rubber bracelets can be left on your wrists at all times — neither sweat nor water can spoil them. Plus they are cheap. Rubber bracelets can be ordered in lots of 500 or more at some Web sites for very low rates.

As a promotion tool the rubber bracelets are a win-win proposition for all people involved. The charities that sell these rubber bracelets donate a portion of the proceeds to the cause they support, the citizen who buys them gets a means to show he cares, and for the manufacturer of the rubber bracelet it is just more business coming his way!

These rubber bracelets are a way to convert a vicious circle of despair and ruin into a virtuous circle of hope and solidarity. So what are you waiting for? Get one of those rubber bracelets now!

About the Author

Shannan Barrett finds that their highly customizable nature has made rubber bracelets the ultimate personal talisman of hope and solidarity for millions around the world. Know more about rubber bracelets at http://www.a1-awareness-bracelets.com/rubber-bracelet.html.

Written By: Shannan Barrett

There are numerous ways to manifest love. One of the most common ways is to present diamond gifts. Sometimes it’s expressed through diamond rings; sometimes through diamond necklace; sometimes through diamond earrings and sometimes thru diamond bracelet.

A bracelet is an ornament worn wrapped around the wrist. It is an article of jewelry may be made of cloth, metal, gem stone, diamonds and sometimes of rocks, wood, or shells. The bracelets are also used for medical and identification purposes.

Nike and Lance Armstrong popularized the recent use of sports bracelets through the Yellow Livestrong band. The sports bracelets are also known as ‘baller id bands’, ‘wristbands’ or ‘baller bands’.

The bracelets that is in solid form, usually made of some metal, is referred to as bangle bracelet. The bracelets made of gold and silver are known as gold bracelet and silver bracelet respectively. Azabache Bracelets are part of Latin culture having great significance.

The diamond bracelets are very popular in the world. The in-line thin diamond bracelet that features a symmetrical pattern of diamonds is called a tennis bracelet. There’s an interesting anecdote associated to the tennis bracelet. Chris Evert, the former World No.1 woman tennis player was playing in the U.S. Open in 1987. She was wearing an elegant, light in-line diamond bracelet, which accidentally broke and the match was interrupted to allow Chris to recover her precious diamonds.

The tennis bracelet incident sparked a new name for the item and sparked a huge jewelry trend. Tennis bracelets continued to be worn by various tennis stars like Serena Williams and Gabriela Sabatini. The diamond tennis bracelets are quite in vogue today. The charm bracelet is another bracelet all the rage.

About The Author

Gagandeep Dhaliwal presents you a website http://www.123diamondbracelets.com that will always be at your service to facilitate you buy the best bracelet, diamond bracelet, diamond tennis bracelet, black diamond bracelet by offering valuable buying tips and volumes of info on numerous types of bracelets. For tips on buying diamond bracelets, click: http://www.getdiamondbracelets.info.

Written By: Gagandeep Dhaliwal

Bracelets are an article of clothing or of jewelry which are worn around one’s wrist. Often times bracelets are made from cloth or metal, and sometimes even of rocks, wood, and even precious materials. Almost everyone will have worn a bracelet at some time in their life.

Often times we even wear bracelets without even thinking about it. An easy example of this is a for medical and identification purposes, such as name tags, and health conditions in a hospital. One of the first major fads of braclets to move through was in the 1980’s, with ’snap bracelets’. Snap bracelets were metal bracelts that were covered with felt, or another soft material. Their shape was such that it could hold either a straight position, or be ’snapped’, to wrap around one’s wrist.

Presently we are going through another fad which is that of silicone rubber bracelets which normally have some type of writing on them to symbolize or support something. These bracelets were popularized by Nike and Lance Armstrong through the yellow Livestrong bracelet, which is Lance Armstrong’s charitable organization for Cancer research/awareness. These rubber bracelets are also commonly known as ‘wristbands’, ‘baller bands’ or ‘baller id bands’.

Not always true, but as in the example above bracelets are often times symbolic of something. Another example of a symbolic use of bracelets, is that with friendship bracelets which are usually self made bracelets given from one friend to another to symbolize their relationship. Bracelts come in all shapes and sizes and can be a very usefull way to remind yourself of something valuable, as your wrist goes everywhere you do.

About the author:

Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the article, this caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks.

Ryan Fyfe is the owner and operator of Pandora Charm Bracelets – http://www.pandora-charm-bracelets.com, which is the best site on the internet for all Bracelets related information.

Written By: Ryan Fyfe