Bolo Bracelets for Women
A bolo bracelet has no clasp to fumble with. Two chain ends pass through a small bead, and sliding that bead is how you put it on, take it off and set the fit. We make five diamond bolos: a single lab-grown solitaire, a lab-grown tennis line, and three with a heart or flower at the center.
A Sliding Bead Instead of a Clasp
The bolo takes its name and its mechanism from the bolo tie, the cord necktie of the American Southwest that's held in place by a decorative slide. On a bracelet the idea shrinks down: the chain runs from each side of the centerpiece, and both ends pass through one bead lined to grip the chain. Push the bead toward your wrist and the loop closes; pull it the other way and it opens wide enough to slip over your hand.
Nothing locks, yet nothing slips either. The bead holds the chain by friction, so the bracelet stays exactly where you set it until you move it again. The chain ends usually finish in small diamond-set or polished tips, which hang below the bead and add a little movement of their own.
Pick a Size, Then Fine-Tune It
A bolo adjusts, but it still starts from a size. When you order, you choose the size that matches your wrist, and the slider then gives you a range on either side of it. That combination is what makes it comfortable: the bracelet isn't so long that the extra chain dangles, and it isn't so short that you lose the adjustment.
Within that range you can change the fit through the day. Wear it snug in the morning so the centerpiece sits on top of the wrist, loosen it a little on a warm afternoon when wrists swell slightly, or slide it closed before you type so it doesn't drift onto the keyboard. For a gift, choose the standard size if you don't know the wrist; the slider covers the difference for most people.
A Single Prong-Set Diamond
The simplest bolo in the collection carries one round lab-grown diamond in a prong setting at the center. The slider lets you pull it close enough that the stone stays on the top of the wrist, which is the usual complaint about solitaire bracelets on a plain chain. It's a quiet everyday piece, and it sits comfortably beside a watch. Prongs hold the stone high enough for light to reach it from the sides, so even a modest diamond flashes every time the wrist turns. It's also an easy one to leave on all day, since there's nothing on it to snag or rattle.
Like all our lab-grown stones, the diamond is grown by the CVD method and is chemically and physically diamond. If you'd rather have a single stone on a standard clasp, our solitaire bracelets offer five shapes and two settings.
A Tennis Line You Can Loosen
The tennis bolo sets a row of round lab-grown diamonds along the top of the bracelet and finishes it with the slider instead of a box clasp. That solves two of the tennis bracelet's oldest problems. There's no clasp to come undone, and you can tighten it so the line of diamonds stays on top instead of rolling to the underside.
It also takes the guesswork out of fit. A traditional tennis bracelet is made to one length and can't be shortened without a jeweler; the bolo version can be set snug for a clean line or loose for a slight drape. Our guide to what a tennis bracelet is explains the classic version, and fixed-length designs sit in our tennis bracelets.
Hearts and Flowers at the Center
The other three bolos put a small cluster of diamonds in the middle of the chain. One forms a heart, one a single flower, and one a fuller flower made from more stones. Because the slider keeps them centered, each one sits like a charm on the back of the wrist and stays facing up.
These three come in natural or lab-grown diamonds depending on the option you choose, and the product listing states which one you're buying. Natural stones of half a carat and above carry an IGI or GIA report, lab-grown stones of 1 carat and up carry an IGI report, and any piece over $800 also includes a GSI jewelry certificate. The heart pairs naturally with our heart shaped diamond bracelets, and both flowers echo the designs in our floral cluster earrings. For flowers set all the way around the wrist, our cluster bracelets include flower tennis lines.
All five bolos are made in 925 sterling silver and in 10K, 14K or 18K gold, in yellow, white or rose. Rose gold suits the heart especially well, while white gold or silver lets the tennis line read as pure light.
Next to a Watch and a Clasp Bracelet
Because a bolo can be pulled closer than a chain bracelet, it stacks neatly. Set it a little tighter than the bracelet beside it so the two sit at slightly different heights and don't knock together. Next to a watch, keep the bolo on the hand side and the watch toward the elbow.
A good stack has one bolo and one or two pieces with a different shape: a slim bangle for a hard line against the soft chain, or a plain gold chain for contrast. Our guide comparing a gold bracelet and a bangle helps if you're building a stack from scratch. For gifts, the solitaire and heart bolos fall within our gifts under $500 depending on the metal and diamond chosen.
Your Own Centerpiece on a Slider
The slider works with almost any center. We can set a different diamond shape, such as an oval, pear or marquise, a colored lab-grown diamond, a larger solitaire, or a longer run of tennis stones on a bolo chain. Tell our custom design team what you'd like at the center and they'll quote it. Orders ship free within the US, and international shipping is available.
