Using the designer
Type a name or a short word and it comes out as beads: a small round bead for each dot, a long bead for each dash, a spacer between letters and a wider gap between words. Beads and Spacers change the colours in the drawing.
Show the steps lists every letter's beads and counts what you'll need, so you can buy the right number of each. It works just as well the other way round: open the pattern for the word a shop says a bracelet spells, and compare it bead by bead.
How to read a Morse code bracelet
Start at the clasp and read one group at a time. Each group between two spacers is a letter. Write a dot for each small bead and a dash for each long one, then look the group up on the Morse code chart, or type it into the Morse translator with spaces between letters.
Some favourites, for reference: I love you is .. / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..-, strength is ... - .-. . -. --. - ...., and hope is .... --- .--. .
Check the spacers before you buy
The spacers are what make a Morse bracelet readable, and they're the part that goes wrong. Without them, letters run together into different letters. A is dot-dash and N is dash-dot, but with no spacer between them, AN reads as dot-dash-dash-dot, which is P.
So before ordering a custom piece, check the listing's photo against the pattern here. Every letter should be its own group, and the groups should match the word.
Making your own
A beaded version needs two shapes of bead in one colour, something to mark the letter breaks, and a cord. Round seed beads work for dots and tube or bugle beads for dashes. Small metal beads or a contrasting colour make good spacers.
Thread from the clasp end, following the pattern above one letter at a time, and put a spacer after every letter except the last. Short words fit a bracelet best. The bead count in the steps tells you how many of each to buy, with a few spare for breakages.
Buy one made
Plenty of small makers sell custom Morse jewellery. These links open a search for it; you type your word on the shop's own site, and nothing you've typed here is sent to them.
- Etsy: custom Morse code braceletsIndependent makers, at every price.
- Etsy: custom Morse code necklacesBeaded, engraved and bar styles.
- Not On The High Street: Morse code braceletsUK makers, including sterling silver pieces.
- Not On The High Street: Morse code necklacesUK makers, beaded and engraved.
Questions
How many letters fit on a bracelet?
It depends on the bead size and the wrist. Short words and names of four to six letters are the usual choice; longer words need smaller beads.
Which way should a Morse bracelet read?
Pick one end and stick with it. Starting from the clasp is the usual way, so the first letter sits next to it.
Can I put a number or a date on it?
Yes. Every digit is five beads, so dates get long quickly. A year is 20 beads before the spacers.
Does this page send my name anywhere?
No. The pattern is worked out in your browser, and the shop links are fixed searches that don't include what you typed.