Are Handmade Bracelets Really Worth the Effort?

How often have you received or purchased anything that is completely handmade? Some of you may answer probably. Some may say occasionally. Others, rarely or even never. Handmade products are perceived as more expensive because of the extra time, effort and materials used in making them. This perception is even more prevalent in the jewelry-making business - which explains why a piece of jewelry such as a bracelet tends to cost more.

Even bracelets made from less expensive materials such as crystals, plastics, polished wood and clay are proportionally more expensive than the usual consumer items. The question that leads many people to ask is: are handmade bracelets more valuable?

To people who have received these bracelets as gifts, the answer can only be a resounding yes. Here are the two most common reasons why:

•     The Uniqueness of the Product - In an era where even high-end jewelry is mass produced, there's no question that these bracelets will come out as one of a kind. With the variety of bracelet materials available out there that consumers can purchase, the possibilities are slim that multiple copies of the same bracelet will be produced from the combinations of designs that will be chosen by those who prefer to make handmade bracelets to give as gifts or to keep as part of one's jewelry collection. Unique bracelets will certainly stand out in a crowd of commercially produced items. Simply put - more unique equals more value
•     The Flexibility of Design - People who choose to make bracelets on their own always assert that it is their design that comes out of the finished product and not that of some faceless, anonymous designer who know nothing about their individual preference. This flexibility of making customized designs is made possible by the wide range of materials available for purchase such as gemstones, metals, crystals and plastics. Because people get to choose which materials and which shapes to include in making their own bracelets, they also consider the finished product as extensions of their own personality - which makes these bracelets even more valuable to those who will receive them as gifts.

Handmade bracelets are not just for those who want to give them away as gifts. These items are also valuable end-products for people who engage in this activity as a hobby. These people are not just composed of bored housewives, retirees and the unemployed. A growing number of hobbyists who engage in this activity are people who are employed in professions that do not produce any tangible products such as accounting, information technology (IT), sales and personnel management. Studies have shown that hobbies that produce creative and tangible products such as bracelet-making has some therapeutic benefits for these professionals. Even though the bracelets themselves may not have any significant physical value, they are nevertheless worthy symbols of well-being for those who spend quality time creating them.

Whether as gift items, as hobbyists' therapeutic symbols or as collectibles, these bracelets are definitely worth more than their actual value for many people.