Best friend bracelet 2023: Celebrate your closest friendships with a thoughtful bracelet
Want something symbolic to commemorate the bond between you and your BFF? Our selection of stellar friendship bracelets will do the job
Picking out the best friendship bracelet for you and your closest pal(s) can really show how much you care about them, if saying the words just isn’t enough.
Matching your look with your friends and letting the world know how strong your bond is makes a real statement about the relationship you have, especially if that bracelet showcases the connection you have with them through a stunning, unique design. Equally, a subtler style bracelet that keeps that love between yourselves can provide a nod and wink of appreciation for those in the know.
Whether you’re after a matching best friend bracelet for two, or getting more friends involved with three or more twinned bracelets, you’ll find what you’re after below and at a number of price points. Since friendship bracelets come in a variety of forms and couplings, we’ve also created a buying guide to help you understand the range of materials and styles that tend to be popular. Read on to get to grips with friendship bracelets and find the caring gift your buddies will always remember.
Best friendship bracelet: At a glance
- Best matching bracelet set: Muru friendship heart bracelet
- Best budget personalised friend bracelet: Lisa Angel ‘handwriting’ bar bracelet
- Best subtle bracelet for multiple friends: Bloom Boutique family gemstones
- Best chain friend bracelet: Daisy Jewellery stacked linked chain bracelet
- Best budget connecting bracelet for two: Junk Jewels ‘best friends’ set
- Best slider friend bracelet: Bloom Boutique starburst slider bracelet
How to choose the best friend bracelet for you
What are friendship bracelets?
As the name implies, a friendship bracelet is an ornamental chain, band or hoop worn by two or more people to celebrate and symbolise the friendship between them. Typically, these bracelets are given as a gift by one party to another and were traditionally made by the gift giver.
What types of friendship bracelets are there?
These days, the style of bracelet has no particular form and tends to fluctuate with current trends in fashion, but you should be able to tell that any group of bracelets are related to one another either by matching designs, personalised flourishes or another connection of some kind. For instance, some friendship bracelets may connect to one another, such as two sides of a heart that will make one whole when brought together. Others might have matching engravings, perhaps using the initials of you and your friend, or use gemstones and other charms to signify your bond.
However, as long as the friends involved know and feel the bracelets are related to one another, it doesn’t particularly matter what outward connection the bracelets have – and besides, you’re likely to have different fashion tastes.
What materials should I consider?
The two classic materials for any bracelet jewellery are silver and gold. They are both durable and long-lasting choices that are also suave and sophisticated in appearance. Should silver be your choice, look out for the words “Sterling” or the number “925” as this indicates high quality – 92.5% silver content, to be exact. Equally, for those who prefer gold, you’ll find a carat rating where a higher number means a purer material that’s also more resistant to tarnishing.
Often, you’ll find friendship bracelets where gold or silver is plated on another material. This is a popular choice since they retain the style of the elements in their pure form without the same high cost. Silver- or gold-plated brass is a common choice: just note that brass oxidises, meaning the bracelet might leave a green mark on your arm over time or if it gets wet. Coating it in a clear nail polish can help here, although obviously this necessitates regular re-application.
Metals that aren’t susceptible to discoloration/oxidation include stainless steel, platinum or rhodium, should any of the above be a major concern.
Besides these shiny metals, you may find woven friendship bracelets made from leather, cotton or cord are more to your taste. These tend to be the most comfortable options since they aren’t as hard and can often be fitted to your specific wrist size, but they’re more likely to degrade from general wear and tear.
How much should I pay?
While gold and silver are classic choices, they’re also more expensive than other materials. Generally, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a solid silver bracelet cheaper than £50, though there are some more delicate ones selling for around £20 to £30. Gold-plated silver will cost extra on top of that, depending on the surface area it needs to cover, and can be anywhere from £20 to £100 or more. Rhodium or silver plating will normally be less, again dependent on the size of the bracelet. There are a few 9ct solid yellow gold bracelets around too, which cost even more – usually above the £200 mark.
You can find stainless steel options for less than £40 and often cheaper than £20 depending on the level of personalisation. Brass is cheaper, depending on what it’s plated with, and will generally cost less than £60. But it’s the fabric options that take the crown as the cheapest option. Leather bracelets generally have a much larger surface area than many sleek, metallic bracelets out there and therefore cost a bit more than you’d otherwise expect, at around £20 to £40. Other fabrics are likely to be smaller and cheaper, and can cost as little as £5.
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The best friend bracelets to buy in 2023
1. Muru friendship heart bracelet: Best matching bracelet set
Price: From £53 | Buy now from Muru Jewellery
For many people, friendship bracelets are about having a matching pair of jewels with that special pal in your life. So this delicate, two-person set from Muru Jewellery really makes things easy.
You’ll both get a heart shaped charm hand engraved with each of your initials attached to the bracelet so you can be with each other wherever you go. That’s engraved onto either sterling silver, 18ct rose gold-plated vermeil or 18ct gold-plated vermeil. Likewise, forgo the initials and you’ll have a more understated look to your friendship bracelet. You can also choose between two chain lengths if you are of varying sizes, plus it’s all placed into luxury gift packaging so you can immediately present your friend with their gift.
Specs – Material: Sterling silver/18ct gold plated vermeil/18ct rose gold plated vermeil; Chain length: 16 to 18cm; Personalised? Yes
2. Lisa Angel “handwriting” bar bracelet: Best budget personalised friend bracelet
Price: £26 | Buy now from Lisa Angel
This curved bar bracelet from Lisa Angel is a real corker. It offers a truly personal touch that we haven’t seen at a price this affordable: your own handwritten note or drawing inscribed on to the metal bracelet itself.
You can get it in either sterling silver plated brass or 18ct gold plated brass, while the engraving can be done cleanly into the bar metal or with black enhancements so it really pops. The bar itself is linked on each of its ends to a rounded box chain for easy tightening and provides a sleek arm-piece befitting modern trends.
All you need to do is send an image of the drawing or handwritten message you want engraved to Lisa Angel (preferably on a white background) and your gift will be ready in no time at all. Given it’s under £30 – and many handwritten engraved bracelets cost £50 or above – this is an inexpensive option that can still mean a lot.
Specs – Material: Sterling silver-plated brass/18ct gold-plated brass; Chain length: Up to 24.8cm; Personalised? Yes
3. Daisy Jewellery stacked linked chain bracelet: Best chain friendship bracelet
Price: From £59 | Buy now from Daisy Jewellery
As a “wear-it-all-the-time” kind of accessory, this sterling silver chunky hoop bracelet is one of our favourites. Its simple chain-link design will go with just about any outfit you’re wearing while retaining a robustness so your friendship bracelet won’t ever fall apart (hopefully, like the friendship it represents).
Should you or your friend have a penchant for gold, this bracelet is also available plated in 18ct worth of it. Whatever your choice, though, these lush metals are the perfect long-lasting gift to commemorate your friendship without having to worry about wear and tear.
Another almost identical option from Estée Lalonde uses the same 18ct gold-plated sterling silver (and for a bit less money) if you would prefer a more delicate chain-loop size.
Specs – Material: Sterling silver/18ct gold-plated silver; Chain length: 17.7cm; Personalised? Yes
4. Bloom Boutique family gemstones: Best subtle bracelet for multiple friends
Price: From £18 | Buy now from Bloom Boutique
You may love your friends, but you still might not want to broadcast your love for them as loudly as a heart bracelet featuring their names or initials. To still have that personalised touch, while retaining a degree of subtlety as to whom your new wrist-wear is referencing, this option from Bloom Boutique works marvellously well.
You can select between one and six Swarovski Crystal Birthstones to represent your friends, since each stone charm from a Garnet (January) to a Topaz (December) is meant for a certain birth month. Even if split up by distance, all your pals can be dangling around your wrist at all times.
There’s a choice between silver, rose gold and champagne gold plating for the actual bracelet, which provides ample choice for any friends with a particular colour in mind. And better still, it all comes in a lovely ribbon-tied gift package with a message for your recipient.
Specs – Material: Silver-plated brass/rose gold-plated brass/champagne gold-plated brass; Chain length: 18cm/14cm; Personalised? Yes
5. Lisa Angel woven leather bracelet: Best leather friendship bracelet
Price: £30 | Buy now from Lisa Angel
If a dainty piece of jewellery isn’t your style, this leather option from Lisa Angel might be a fitting alternative. A thick, woven band, it has a strong look that remains a sleek and subtle choice should you choose to wear it 24/7, coming in solid black or khaki, as well as rough and ready brown and navy options for that more worn-in appeal.
To bring a loving touch to the banded leather, you can personalise the clasp that joins both ends with any text you please, so long as it fits in three lines of up to 15 characters per line. It could have a GPS point that holds significance for you and your friend or a more obvious notation such as an initial, name or message for your loved one. The small side of the clasp will also be engraved with a constellation of your choice, so this is perhaps not the gift for any horoscope haters.
Specs – Material: Leather, stainless steel; Chain length: 20cm/22.5cm; Personalised? Yes
6. Starburst Slider Bracelet: Best slider friendship bracelet
Price: From £48 | Buy now from Bloom Boutique
For kids growing up, a knotted bracelet made from fabric tends to be the go-to friendship bracelet for affordability, durability and the forever-nature of that knot. To recreate that sense of life-long commitment, in a more stylish and permanent Sterling silver material, this slider bracelet from Bloom Boutique does a grand job.
The slider aspect of the bracelet works as you’d expect; simply push up the clasp to tighten. This leaves the core part of the bracelet – featuring miniature, linked charms with star patterns cut into either side – tight to your wrist, while the remainder dangles freely. It has a delicate look and feel to it that should appeal to those who prefer lighter jewellery. It also comes with a little, 8mm disc charm which you can engrave with up to five characters for an extra £6.40, which we think is a neat, personal touch.
Specs – Material: Sterling silver/gold plated sterling silver; Chain length: Up to 12.5cm; Personalised? Yes
7. Junk Jewels ‘best friends’ set of two: Best budget connecting bracelet
Price: £14 | Buy now from Not On The High Street
Want to split your bracelet in two, so both you and your bestie can be together while apart? That’s one of the classic styles of friendship bracelet you may have envisaged when hearing the phrase, but they can be surprisingly tough to find these days. If you do, they’re often expensive, so that makes this two-piece option from Junk Jewel a firm favourite of ours.
The cute broken-heart charms have “Best friend” engraved in them, split by the break in the heart, as is tradition. Once together again, the heart is complete – much like how you may feel after meeting up with your best friend once more. Coming in either silver or 14k rose gold-plated brass, plus a cubic zirconia jewel embedded in the charm itself, the quality isn’t the greatest in the world. But given the price and the connecting nature of these bracelets, it’s still one of our favourites.
Specs – Material: Silver-plated brass; Chain length: 15 to 18.5cm; Personalised? Yes
8. Lisa Angel woven friendship bracelet with gold star: Best fabric bracelet
Price: £6.50 | Buy now from Lisa Angel
When you were young, you may have had a woven friendship bracelet of your own. So if you’re looking to relive those days with a present-day bestie, or to resurrect them via your children, this woven option from Lisa Angel is a star choice.
We mean that literally – there’s a gold star attached to the grey, gold and white cord bracelet that really accentuates the already glowing tones. It fits by a pull fastening, making it easy to secure and adjust as you please; this isn’t one of those fabric friendship bracelets you can never get off without cutting it. All at an incredibly affordable price, too, making it easy to get multiple bracelets for any number of friends.
Specs – Material: Cord, 14ct gold-plated brass; Chain length: Up to 22.2cm; Personalised? No