Bracelet size chart: wrist measurement to bracelet length, by style

Measure your wrist, then add length according to the style: about 1 to 1.5 cm for a tennis bracelet, 1.5 to 2 cm for a chain bracelet, and 2.5 to 3 cm for a charm bracelet. A wrist of 16 cm usually wears a 17.5 to 18 cm chain bracelet, which is roughly 7 inches. Bangles are the exception, because they are sized by the hand rather than the wrist.

Measure your wrist first

1. 1Take a soft tape measure, or a strip of paper about 1 cm wide.
2. 2Wrap it around the wrist where the bracelet will sit, just past the wrist bone towards the hand. That is usually the narrowest point a bracelet rests on.
3. 3Keep it snug against the skin, not tight. Paper should lie flat all the way round.
4. 4Mark the overlap, lay the strip flat and measure it in centimetres. That is your wrist size.
5. 5Measure the wrist you will actually wear it on. Most people's dominant wrist is slightly larger.

The bracelet size chart

Most adult women's wrists fall between about 14 and 17 cm, which is why 17 to 19 cm is the most common women's chain bracelet length. Men's wrists are more often 17 to 20 cm, and men's sizing has its own guide in how to size a men's bracelet.

Why each style gets a different allowance

Chain bracelets: add 1.5 to 2 cm

A chain bracelet should move slightly and sit just above the wrist bone without sliding over the hand. Add 1.5 cm for a closer fit and 2 cm for a relaxed one. Thicker links take up space on the inside of the loop, so for chunky chains wider than 6 mm, lean towards the longer end.

Tennis bracelets: add 1 to 1.5 cm

A tennis bracelet is a line of set stones, and it looks best sitting close, with the stones facing up. Too loose and it rotates, knocks against desks and puts strain on the clasp, which is the weak point of the whole design. Keep the allowance small.

Charm bracelets: add 2.5 to 3 cm

Charms hang inwards as well as outwards and take up room around the wrist. A charm bracelet sized like a plain chain will feel tight once it has four or five charms on it. Add more length, and a little more again if you plan to keep adding charms.

Beaded and stretch bracelets: add 0.5 to 1 cm

Elastic bracelets need to roll over the hand, but a loose one slides and a tight one stretches the cord until it snaps. Around 1 cm more than the wrist is usually right; larger beads need the upper end.

Cuffs: add about 1 cm, and check the gap

Cuffs sit closer than chains and go on from the side, so the inner circumference should be about your wrist plus 1 cm, with an opening of around 2.5 to 3 cm.

Converting inches

Many listings give bracelet length in inches. One inch is 2.54 cm. This is what the common lengths mean in practice for a chain bracelet with a normal allowance.

Signs the size is wrong

• It slides down over the hand when your arm hangs by your side. Too long, especially for a chain or tennis bracelet.
• It leaves a red line or pattern on the skin after an hour. Too short, or too little allowance for chunky links or charms.
• The clasp keeps turning to the top of the wrist. Usually too loose; the heaviest part is sliding round.
• You cannot fit a finger flat between the bracelet and the wrist. Fine for a tennis bracelet, too tight for a chain or charm style.
• It catches on your sleeve or dupatta every time you reach for something. Often a sign it is hanging too low.

A bracelet that is slightly long can often be shortened by a jeweller removing a few links, or worn on a more distant clasp link if it has an extender. A bracelet that is too short can sometimes take a small extender chain, though that adds a weak point. On a tennis bracelet, changing the length is a jeweller's job.

Bangles do not use this chart

A bangle has no clasp, so it has to pass over the widest part of the hand, which is several centimetres more than the wrist. Kangan and churi sizes like 2.4 and 2.6 come from that hand measurement, not wrist size. Use the bangle and cuff size guide for those.

Buying without measuring

• For a gift, an adjustable bracelet with an extender chain or a sliding clasp is by far the safest choice.
• Borrow a bracelet that already fits and measure it flat from end to end, clasp included.
• If you really have nothing to go on, 18 cm is a sensible default for most women's chain bracelets, and 20 to 21 cm for men's.
• Plan for an exchange. Zayr offers a 7-day exchange from delivery on unworn pieces in their original packaging, so try it on as soon as it arrives.

A bracelet is sized by the wrist plus the room it needs to move. The wrist is the easy part; the room is where people guess wrong.