I get a lot of emails asking about small size bracelets, so I’m always happy to share ones I find, especially if they’re of good quality and stylish design. I first sneak peeked this Stella & Dot Renegade bracelet (also comes in silver) in this post and have been wearing it non-stop since.
Like many petite women, my hands and wrists are petite right along with the rest of me, so most standard size bracelets fall down and off my hand. This is especially true of trend jewelry, which often comes in only one standard size, and generally isn’t easily made smaller.
I’m also pretty picky when it comes to my jewelry, even the cheap stuff, so finding trend jewelry that I’m willing to pay for is hard to come by. I like the colors and textures to look realistic, the weight to feel heavy, and the metals to be at least semi-decent if I can help it. When I stray from these requirements, I get light weight, smelly metals (like this necklace, the heavy metallic smell of which is only tolerable because I paid $7 for it), and icky discoloration from oxidation on cheap metals (like these Armita Singh necklaces have been doing lately).
On the lookout for some fun jewelry pieces, I spotted this bracelet as part of Wendy’s stylish arm-accessories and had to try it on. Expecting something so on-trend to be light and cheap feeling, I was really surprised to feel how heavy it was. As I stretched the tiny bracelet over my hand and onto my wrist, I instantly knew I wanted one for myself. If I thought I could out-run Wendy, I may have made a break for it, but I suspect she’s better at running in heels than I am, so I sadly handed it back and obsessed over it for the next few days.
Happily, Stella & Dot heard of my obsession, and very generously sent one over for me to play with (probably so I wouldn’t try to run off with Wendy’s). After wearing it now for a few days, I can genuinely say I would happily buy this bracelet for myself (in fact, I came thisclose to pulling the trigger before Stella & Dot were kind enough to send me one).
I just realized the above photo looks painful with all those spikes turned inward. Don’t worry, they won’t puncture your wrist, the individual pieces swivel easily around on the elastic band.
My bracelet measures at about 2″ when not stretched. To put it on, I have to stretch it over my hand first, which is rare, since even standard size elastic bracelets often slide off my hand. There is space between the bracelet and my wrist, so it doesn’t fit tight, but instead moves along with the rest of my bangles and bracelets when worn with a stack. I have freakishly thin wrists (5″ around), so other ladies may not have this same experience. However, clever Wendy showed me a little trick…if you want it tighter, just twist a little section of the bracelet once or twice (I bet one of the pave balls would work well) to tighten things up.
Where it stops on my wrist
According to the website, this bracelet is gold plated, which not only ups the quality of the piece, but also ensures it’s colored like real gold (I’m assuming the base metal is brass, since many of the other products are brass based). One of my least favorite things about trend jewelry is that awful “gold-tone” that is just a little too yellow, making the piece look obviously fake. No such problem with this piece, in fact, the color matches very well with my 18k gold jewelry. I also love the heavy weight of the piece, which makes it feel sturdy and well made.
Color comparison against two of my 18k gold pieces
At $59, this piece obviously isn’t cheapity cheap cheap, but is way cheaper than a lot of “designer” trend jewelry I’ve come across, made of cheaper materials (for example, the very popular YSL Arty is made of gold-plated tin and glass!). Overall, I’m really impressed with the price point and quality.
My only fears with a piece such as this are: 1) the elastic wearing out, which would probably just mean I’d have to sit down for an evening and restring it, and 2) gold plating has been known to scratch/flake off with rugged wear. I’ll be curious to see how well this bracelet wears with age, and would love to hear your experiences with it if you happen to own it as well.
The matching necklace (also c/o Stella & Dot) is also a great size for petite frames, and I’ve been reaching for it often as well. I probably shouldn’t wear them together since it’s pretty matchy-matchy, but I’m really excited about both pieces and have been guilty of wearing both at once lately.
And if you follow me on Twitter or Instagram (my username is AlteratnsNeeded), you’ll see I’m on a spike binge at the moment. No, I’m not joining a motorcycle gang (although my parents are proud members of their local HOG Chapter…hehe)…instead, I blame a return to my college-age roots of pop-punk and studded belts. =)
More bracelets for small wrists.
