Palomita Wrapped Leather Bracelet Tutorial

Created by: Polly Nobbs-LaRue

Designer Tips

Cast silver star beads and Bali-style flower beads make wonderful riveted accents. If a bead's hole isn't quite large enough, center the bead on the 1/16" cutting end of the Crafted Findings riveting system, and re-cut the hole. Do not pull the bead off the cutter - this can damage the cutter. Simply unscrew until the bead comes off naturally.
The purple leather bracelet pictured is no longer available - but 50 other colors / sizes are! (See links below.)
Make a small pen or pencil mark where you want to place each of your larger design elements. (Mark it where it won't be seen when the piece is finished.) Using the cutting end of the Crafted Findings riveting system, cut one hole at a time, and rivet each item before you cut the next hole.

Although these rivets aren't designed to be used with leather, they work well as long as you have a metal piece on both sides of the leather. Every rivet on this bracelet has either a Bali-style flower bead or a silver star bead on the back side of the bracelet. Cast metal heishi spacer beads also work.
For added texture between the larger elements, stack a flower bead on top of a star bead, before pushing it through the leather and placing another star on the back. Keep all your components carefully centered as you set the rivets, to make sure the stacks stay straight.

Free Technique Sheets & How-Tos

Suggested Supplies

1 pkg of 100 [use 8] #49-990-06-AS Bead, Cast, Star Spacer, 6mm
1 strand [use 19] #26-815-115 Bead, Metal, Spacer, Flower
1 ea #51-811-24 Bracelet, Leather, 1/2", Triple-Wrap
1 pkg of 10 [use 1] #44-940-69-AS Connectors, Cast, Paloma
1 ea #49-951-06-5 Connector, Disk with Spirals, 2 Hole
1 pkg of 50 [use 2] #69-921-07-8 Rivet, 1/16", 1/4" Long
1 pkg of 50 [use 2] #69-921-07-2 Rivet, 1/16", 1/4" Long
1 pkg of 125 [use 9] #69-920-02-8 Copper Rivet, 1/16"-Dia, Medium-Length Mix
1 pkg of 125 [use 2] #69-920-02-2 Brass Rivet, 1/16"-Dia, Medium-Length Mix