Still Looking for Friendship Bracelets That Actually Mean Something? Start Here.

There is something that happens when you start looking for friendship bracelets as an adult. You type it into a search bar, scroll through pages of mass-produced string and plastic, and think: none of these are it.

Because what you are really looking for is not a bracelet. You are looking for something that holds the weight of the friendship. Something you can wear every day and feel, when you glance down at your wrist, that the person who gave it to you is right there with you.

That is a harder thing to find. But it exists. And this guide will help you find it.

← Older Post

Bali Friendship Bracelet - Jungle Forest Love Is Project

Why friendship bracelets hit differently when you are an adult

When we were kids, friendship bracelets were a rite of passage. You made them at camp. You traded them at lunch. The messier the weave, the better.

Something shifts as you get older. The friendships you are celebrating now have been through things. A move across the country. A health scare. A period of life that tested everything. A friendship that survived your worst year.

A bracelet made from a plastic kit does not carry that. Handmade friendship bracelets do. Not because handmade is inherently more valuable, but because the time and intention behind them mirrors the time and intention of the friendship itself.

When Chrissie Lam founded Love Is Project, she was asking a single question: what does love mean to you? She asked it on planes, in markets, across languages and borders. The answers became bracelets. The bracelets became a global conversation.

That question is still at the center of every bracelet we make.

Shop the collection

Celebrate your friendship

Bali Friendship Bracelet - Beach Sunset

$30.00

25 colors available

+20

Best Seller

Bali Friendship Bracelet - Sherbet Peach

$30.00

25 colors available

+20

Best Seller

Bali Friendship Bracelet - Sunset Ubud

$30.00

24 colors available

+19

Best Seller

Bali Friendship Bracelet - Bloom Daisy

$30.00

22 colors available

+17

Best Seller

Bali Friendship Bracelet - Fire Sand

$30.00

22 colors available

+17

Sold Out

Bali Friendship Bracelet - Beach Sand

$30.00

Sold Out

25 colors available

+20

Best Seller

Bali Friendship Bracelet - Ocean Foam

$30.00

24 colors available

+19

Bali Friendship Bracelet - Fire Stream

$30.00

22 colors available

+17

What to look for when you are looking for handmade friendship bracelets

Not all handmade is created equal. Look for the name of the artisan and the country they come from. Look for a brand that can tell you both. At Love Is Project, every bracelet comes from a specific community: Maasai women in Ngong Hills, Kenya; artisan women in Bali and Java, Indonesia; Kichwa women in the highlands of Otavalo, Ecuador. These are not anonymous products. The craft itself should feel like it was made with time, using techniques passed down through generations, not a machine. And the best meaningful friendship bracelets come with a story you can actually share when you hand one over. That story is part of the gift.

Shop all

The styles: finding the right fit

If you are looking for friendship bracelets and are not sure where to start, here is a breakdown of the main styles Love Is Project carries and who they tend to suit best.

Custom Ombré LOVE Bracelet - Sunshine Love Is Project

The Original Maasai LOVE Bracelet, Kenya

Hand-beaded by Maasai women in the Ngong Hills of Kenya using generations-old techniques, these bold, colorful, stacked bracelets are the ones that started it all. The vivid, intentional color combinations make them instant conversation-starters — perfect for friends who love color, love to travel, or just have strong opinions about what they wear.

Shop Now

Bali Friendship Bracelet - Sherbet Lemon Love Is Project

Seed Bead Bracelets, Bali, Indonesia

Hand-strung with glass seed beads by artisan women in Bali, these delicate friendship bracelets come in a wide range of colors and layer effortlessly together — perfect for gifting to the friend who wears jewelry every day, the minimalist who wants a hint of color, or anyone who needs the perfect piece to complete their stack.

Shop Now

Ecuador Tagua Collection, Ecuador

Carved from tagua — a rainforest seed sometimes called vegetable ivory — by Kichwa women in Otavalo, these smooth, sculptural bracelets are unlike anything else on this list, made by artisans who receive fair salaries, paid vacation, and health insurance. For the friend who wants a meaningful bracelet that doesn't look like one.

Shop Now

Guatemala Bracelets, Guatemala

Handwoven on mini foot looms in the villages of Lake Atitlán using ancient Maya techniques, each color represents a specific village and artisans invest up to 90% of their wages back into their families — for the friend who cares about where things come from.

Shop Now

The part that makes these meaningful friendship bracelets

Here is what is true about every bracelet in the Love Is Project collection: the purchase directly funds steady employment for the woman who made it.

More than 2,000 female artisans across 10 countries earn fair wages through Love Is Project. Sixty students in Kenya have had their secondary school places funded through sales. Artisan communities in India received masks, sewing machines, and supplies during the pandemic. Food gardens have been funded in Bhutan. Since 2014, over $125,000 has been raised for causes close to the brand's heart.

None of that is claimed without backing. It is counted, verified, and ongoing.

This is what separates a meaningful friendship bracelet from a decorative one. The friend on your wrist and the woman who made it are connected through the same object. That is the common thread. That is LOVE as a literal, physical thing.

Bali Friendship Bracelet - Electric Feel Love Is Project

How to give a friendship bracelet that stays on

The best friendship bracelets are the ones that never come off. Here is how to make sure yours is one of them.

Match the story to the friend. If she has talked about Kenya or traveled to East Africa, the Maasai bracelet will mean more. If she is drawn to natural materials and sustainable craft, the woven reed cuff from Colombia will resonate. Let the story do some of the work.

Stack them. Love Is Project bracelets are made to be worn together. Consider giving two or three in colors that complement each other, or one of each style you think she will reach for.

Include the why. When you give it, tell her where it came from. Tell her who made it. Tell her what the purchase meant. That conversation is part of the gift.

Get a matching set. The idea of friendship bracelets is that they are worn by both people. Choose two from the same collection, one for her and one for you. Every time you look down at your wrist, so will she.

Shop all