The Red String Heart Bracelet is a hand braided red cord with a small gold tone heart sitting at its centre, closed with a sliding knot that draws to your wrist. The red thread is the old idea of a line between people meant to find each other. The heart is where you say who.
What does a red string bracelet with a heart charm mean?
A red string bracelet with a heart charm is worn as a symbol of love and connection, joining two old ideas into one piece.
The red thread turns up across a remarkable number of traditions, and in most of them it means the same two things: a line of protection, and a line of fate. It is the cord said to tie together the people who belong in each other's lives, however long they take to arrive. The heart is the part you choose. Some wear it for a partner. Some for a child, or a parent, or a friend who carried them through something. Some wear it for themselves, which is not a lesser reason. The bracelet does not decide. You do.
Can you wear it as a couple bracelet?
Yes, and it is one of the most common ways the red string is worn: two bracelets, one each, the same thread on two wrists.
Each bracelet is sold singly, so a pair is two. People give the second one at the moment it is meant to mark, which is usually the better half of the gift. There is nothing to match or size up beforehand, because each one adjusts on the wrist it ends up on. It also works perfectly well worn alone, which matters if the connection you have in mind is with someone who would never wear jewellery.
Which wrist should you wear it on?
Tradition puts the red string on the left wrist, the side thought to receive rather than give.
The left is where most people wear it, on the reasoning that the receiving hand is where you invite something in. Plenty of people wear it on the right instead, usually for the straightforward reason that it is the hand they use less. Neither is wrong. If you are wearing one for someone else, matching sides is a small thing that people tend to like.
Will it fit?
Yes. The sliding knot moves along the cord, so the bracelet draws in or opens out to sit exactly where you want it, and stays there.
One size fits most wrists. Pull both cord ends outward to open the bracelet, slip it on, then pull the loop to snug it. The two small gold beads on the tails give you something to take hold of. It is a close fit or a loose one depending on how you set it, and you can reset it at any time.
How do you look after it?
Keep it dry and it will keep its colour.
Red cord holds its shade well, but like any braided thread it prefers not to be soaked. Take it off before swimming or a long shower, keep perfume and hand lotion off the braid, and the gold tone heart will stay bright. If the knot loosens over months of wear, draw it closed again; that is what it is there for.
Details
- Item type: Red string bracelet with heart charm
- Materials: Braided red cord, gold tone alloy heart, two gold tone end beads
- Heart size: 7.24 x 6.15 x 3.10 mm (0.29 x 0.24 x 0.12")
- Fit: Adjustable sliding knot, one size fits most wrists
- Closure: Sliding knot, no clasp
- Colour: Bright red cord, gold tone heart
- Care: Keep dry, avoid perfume and lotion on the braid
Tie it on and forget about it. That is rather the point: the thread does its work quietly, and you are reminded of who it stands for every time you catch it on your wrist.