How to measure your wrist for a bracelet

Animaelle bracelet sizes are wrist circumferences in centimetres: S is 14.0–15.0 cm, M is 15.5–16.5 cm, and L is 17.0–18.0 cm. The paper mark is the letter. Nothing is added for the cord. How to measure your wrist for a bracelet: wrap a strip of paper about 2 cm wide where a watch would sit, snug but not tight, mark the overlap, and read the centimetres on a ruler. A mark above 15.0 cm and below 15.5 cm takes M. A mark above 16.5 cm and below 17.0 cm takes L. Below 14.0 cm or above 18.0 cm, write to us before you order.

Written by the Animaelle studio in Hong Kong, and published 29 September 2026. The three letters are the wrists we cut. The inch arithmetic uses the inch definition from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Who we are is on the about page.

Key takeaways

• The letter is your wrist, measured where a watch would sit.
• S is 14.0–15.0 cm. M is 15.5–16.5 cm. L is 17.0–18.0 cm.
• Above 15.0 cm and below 15.5 cm, order M. Above 16.5 cm and below 17.0 cm, order L.
• Below 14.0 cm or above 18.0 cm, send the centimetres before you order.
• If you measured in inches, multiply by 2.54 and use the centimetre table. Do not order from a rounded inch.

Who this is for

This note is for someone ordering an Animaelle bracelet, or measuring a wrist for a gift. You need paper, or a soft tape, and a ruler. It covers our elastic strands in S, M and L.

It does not turn a wrist into the inner length of a clasp bracelet, a bangle or a cuff. Another maker’s finished length is a different measurement. If you already wear one of ours and it sits well, order that same letter again.

How to measure your wrist for a bracelet

1. Cut a strip of paper about 2 cm wide. A soft tape is the same method.
2. Choose the wrist you will wear it on. Left and right can differ.
3. Wrap the strip where a watch would sit, on bare skin. Do not measure over a sleeve.
4. Hold it snug, not tight. The paper should lie flat. It should not press a groove into the skin.
5. Mark the overlap. Lay the strip flat on a ruler and read the centimetres.
6. Measure a second time, the same way. If the two marks differ, keep the larger one.

That reading is your wrist. It is the letter. If you will stack two bracelets, still measure once. The letters are the same on every strand. The one-minute version of these steps, without the chart, stays on the measure page.

Size chart in centimetres

Read the paper mark against this table. Ends are included. A mark of 15.0 cm is S. A mark of 15.5 cm is M. A mark of 16.5 cm is M. A mark of 17.0 cm is L. A mark of 18.0 cm is L.

Worked marks from the studio rule: 14.6 cm is S. 15.0 cm is S. 15.2 cm is M. 16.0 cm is M. 16.5 cm is M. 16.7 cm is L. 17.4 cm is L. 18.0 cm is L.

If your ruler is in inches

Choose the letter from centimetres. The International Bureau of Weights and Measures defines the metre as the SI unit of length. Its prefix table gives centi as 10⁻², so a centimetre is a hundredth of a metre. That is the unit we cut to. The National Institute of Standards and Technology states that the inch, from the yard made effective on 1 July 1959, is exactly 25.4 millimetres, which is 2.54 centimetres. NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B, records the same 1959 change: the yard is exactly 0.9144 metres, and the international foot is exactly 0.3048 metres.

If the ruler is marked in inches, multiply the reading by 2.54 and compare that product with the table above. 6.25 inches × 2.54 = 15.875 cm, which is M. 7 inches × 2.54 = 17.78 cm, which is L. 5.5 inches × 2.54 = 13.97 cm, which is below 14.0 cm, so write to us.

The boundary conversions below are each centimetre divided by 2.54, rounded to three decimal places. They are a finder. A rounded inch can fall on the wrong side of a line when you convert it back, so the centimetre table is the one that decides.

Marks that fall in the gaps

We do not make half sizes. Elastic cord relaxes a little over the first month, which is why a mark between two letters takes the larger one. A bracelet that is slightly loose sits flatter than one that bites.

15.2 cm is the gap between S and M, so it is M. 16.7 cm is the gap between M and L, so it is L. The same rule covers every mark in those gaps, not only the two examples. Above 15.0 and below 15.5 is M. Above 16.5 and below 17.0 is L.

Below 14 cm or above 18 cm

We do not list a fourth letter. A mark of 13.8 cm, or 18.4 cm, is outside the wrists we cut for the site. Write to us with the centimetres before you order, from the contact page. We will say what we can do. Picking S or L only to finish checkout puts the wrong strand on the wrist.

How we cut the three letters

Animaelle is a small studio in Hong Kong. Most strands are 8 mm beads of natural stone, on elastic cord, checked on a wrist form before they are packed. If a batch is uneven, we restring it. The letters on this page are the wrists that form is built for.

The bead diameter is not the size you order. Counting beads in a photograph will not land on S, M or L. Colour and veining vary from stone to stone. That variation is not a sizing problem. Cord wear, after the fit is right, is a separate note: caring for elastic cord.

Checklist before you order

• Paper about 2 cm wide, or a soft tape, plus a ruler.
• The wrist you will actually wear it on.
• Bare skin, where a watch would sit.
• Two readings. Keep the larger one if they differ.
• The letter from the centimetre table. Inches converted by × 2.54 first.
• The centimetres written down, in case you need to write to us later.

Questions

How do I measure my wrist for a bracelet without a tape measure?

Paper is enough. Cut a strip about 2 cm wide, wrap it where a watch would sit, snug but not tight, and mark the overlap. Lay the strip on a ruler and read the centimetres. Measure on bare skin, not over a sleeve. If the two marks differ, keep the larger number, then match it to S, M or L.

Do I add centimetres to my wrist measurement?

No. For an Animaelle bracelet the letter is the wrist measurement. The cord allowance is already in the strand we cut. Adding length on top of the paper mark chooses a larger letter than the wrist we sized. Leave the reading as it is, then use the centimetre table.

What size is a 16 cm wrist?

16.0 cm is M. M includes 15.5 cm through 16.5 cm, both ends. You do not turn 16 cm into a finished bracelet length, and you do not add a centimetre for the cord. A mark of 16.5 cm is still M. A mark of 16.7 cm has crossed into the gap, so it is L.

What if I am between two sizes?

Order the larger letter. We do not make half sizes. Above 15.0 cm and below 15.5 cm is M, including the 15.2 cm example. Above 16.5 cm and below 17.0 cm is L, including the 16.7 cm example. Elastic cord relaxes a little over the first month, and a slightly loose bracelet sits flatter than one that bites.

What if my wrist is under 14 cm or over 18 cm?

Write to us before you order, and include the centimetres. We do not keep a fourth letter on the site. Use the contact page, and wait for an answer before you choose S or L as a substitute. A guess at checkout is how the wrong strand gets packed.

Which wrist should I measure?

Measure the wrist you will wear the bracelet on. Most people lead with one hand; that is the wrist. The other wrist can read differently, so do not assume they match. If you will wear two strands, still measure once. Every Animaelle letter uses the same three ranges.

Is an 8 mm bead bracelet sized by counting beads?

No. Most of our strands use 8 mm beads, and the letter is still the wrist measurement, not a bead count. A photograph does not show how many beads we strung for S, M or L. Use the paper strip, read the centimetres, and order that letter.

What to do with the number

Once you know how to measure your wrist for a bracelet, take the letter to the strand you want. Shop bracelets with that letter in mind. If a piece arrives and the fit is wrong, write with the order number and the centimetres. We will say what we can do before you post anything back. We do not publish a fixed number of days for a return.

Sources

• International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), “SI base unit: metre (m)”, defining the metre by the fixed value of the speed of light, 299 792 458 m/s. bipm.org/en/si-base-units/metre. Read 29 September 2026.
• International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), “SI prefixes”. Lists centi, symbol c, as the multiplying factor 10⁻². bipm.org/en/measurement-units/si-prefixes. Read 29 September 2026.
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), “SI Units – Length”. States that the inch, from the yard effective 1 July 1959, is exactly 25.4 mm, and gives the centimetre among the decimal units of the metre. nist.gov/pml/owm/si-units-length. Read 29 September 2026.
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Special Publication 811, Appendix B, “Conversion Factors”. States that since 1959 the yard is exactly 0.9144 m and the international foot is exactly 0.3048 m. NIST SP 811, Appendix B. Page updated 18 August 2025. Read 29 September 2026.

The wrist ranges, the 2 cm paper strip, the between-size rule, the 8 mm beads, and the instruction to write before posting a return are Animaelle studio practice, also stated on the measure page and the about page.