Candy Bead Necklaces & Bracelets: How to Wear the Colourful Beaded Jewellery Trend
Remember the candy necklaces of your childhood? Those stretchy strings of chalky pastel sweets you would nibble off one by one in the playground? Well, they have grown up. Candy bead jewellery is everywhere right now: chunky, colourful beaded necklaces and bracelets in sweet shop shades, juicy fruit colours and joyful mismatched mixes. It is nostalgia you can wear, and it might just be the happiest trend in jewellery.
Our take on it? Swap the sugar for real gemstones. Our candy necklaces and bracelets are handcrafted to order in our studio on Cornwall's north coast, using real and weighty jade beads in dreamy bright, pastel and fruity shades. Good enough to eat (please don't). Here is everything you need to know about the candy bead trend, our flavours, and how to wear them.
What Is Candy Bead Jewellery?
Candy bead jewellery is all about colour and fun: necklaces and bracelets made from round or rondelle beads in sweet-shop shades, often inspired by sweets, fruit and desserts. It is part of the wider "dopamine dressing" movement, the idea of wearing bright, joyful colours that simply make you happy, and a big nostalgic nod to the jewellery we loved as kids.
Many candy necklaces are made from plastic or glass. Ours are made from 8mm jade rondelle beads, so they have a lovely weight and glossy finish and are made to last. Necklaces are made to your chosen length and finished with recycled sterling silver or 14k gold plated fastenings, and bracelets are strung on strong stretch elastic in two sizes.
Meet the Flavours
Every design in our candy collection is inspired by a sweet treat or a summer favourite, and each comes as a necklace and a matching bracelet.
Pick & Mix
A nod to childlike wonder and the joy of a paper bag of sweets, our Pick & Mix candy necklace features a random assortment of colourful jade beads in bright and pastel shades, so no two are ever the same. The Pick & Mix candy bracelet is a stacker's dream. If you are looking for a colourful beaded necklace that goes with absolutely everything, start here.
The Strawberry Necklace: Strawberries & Cream
Long summer days, picnic blankets and one of the season's most iconic pairings. Our Strawberries & Cream necklace blends blush pinks, ripe reds and clotted-cream whites, with a couple of pops of leafy green for the strawberry stems. It is the sweetest strawberry necklace around, and there is a matching strawberry bracelet too.
The Cherry Necklace: Dark Cherry
Sweet with a dark side. Our Dark Cherry necklace uses four rich shades of jade, from juicy red to the deepest plum purple, for a cherry necklace that feels a little bit gothic and a lot bit luxe. Perfect for autumn and winter. Pair it with the Dark Cherry bracelet.
The Olive Necklace: The Olive
For dreamy Mediterranean afternoons and the humble olive. The Olive necklace blends olive-green jade with a pop of red for the pimento centre. A playful olive necklace for anyone who dreams of long lunches in the sun. The Olive bracelet completes the look.
✧ Shop candy necklaces ✧
Real jade beads in sweet shop and fruity shades. Handcrafted to order in Cornwall.
How to Wear Candy Bead Necklaces
- Let it shine alone: a single candy necklace with a plain white tee or a simple knit is all the colour an outfit needs.
- Layer it with something dainty: pair a chunky candy necklace with a barely-there gemstone drop on a fine cord. Our silk cord crystal necklaces are perfect for this, and you can pick a stone in a matching shade.
- Mix your metals: choose silver or gold fastenings to match the rest of your jewellery, or mix both for an effortless, collected look.
- Play with length: as each necklace is made to your chosen length, you can go for a short, choker-style candy necklace or something a little longer for layering.
How to Stack Candy Bead Bracelets
Candy bracelets are made for stacking. Start with one of our candy bracelets, then add contrast: a dainty confetti bracelet made from tiny 2mm gemstone beads, or a simple gemstone bead bracelet in a stone that picks out one of your candy colours. Three is the magic number: one chunky, one dainty and one in between. Look out for multi-buy offers on our bracelets to build your stack.
Want to go head to toe? Our confetti beaded anklet brings the same joyful colour to your ankles, especially lovely with summer sandals.
✧ Shop candy bracelets and stackers ✧
Stretchy candy bracelets and dainty confetti stackers. Handcrafted to order in Cornwall.
Why Jade?
Jade has been treasured for thousands of years, and it is traditionally associated with good luck, harmony and abundance, which feels just right for jewellery designed to make you smile. It is also a tough, hard-wearing stone with a lovely glossy polish, perfect for beads you will want to wear every day. Discover more stones in our A-Z crystal guide, or read about African jade.
How to Care for Candy Bead Jewellery
- Roll, don't pull: roll stretch bracelets on and off your wrist rather than tugging them, so the elastic stays strong.
- Keep them dry: take your candy jewellery off before swimming, showering or bathing.
- Perfume first, jewellery last: let lotions and perfume dry before you put your beads on.
- Store them flat: keep your pieces in their gift box so they don't get tangled or scratched.
For more ideas, see our guide to cleansing your crystals.
Candy Jewellery Gift Ideas
A candy necklace or bracelet makes a joyful gift for anyone who loves colour, from a best friend's birthday to a fun stocking surprise. Pair a bracelet with a matching necklace, or build a little stack of bracelets in their favourite flavour. For more inspiration, see our guides to stocking fillers for women and crystal gifts for her, or browse all our gift ideas.
Every piece is cleansed, energy infused, vegan and cruelty free, and 5% of all proceeds go to Pacific Wild to help protect the Great Bear Rainforest.
Candy Bead Jewellery FAQs
What is a candy necklace?
Traditionally a candy necklace is a string of edible sweets. In jewellery, a candy necklace is a colourful beaded necklace in playful, sweet-shop shades. Ours are made from real jade gemstone beads.
Are your candy necklaces made from real gemstones?
Yes. Our candy necklaces and bracelets are made from 8mm jade rondelle beads, handcrafted to order in Cornwall.
What sizes do the candy bracelets come in?
Our candy bracelets are strung on strong stretch elastic and come in two sizes, 6.5" or 7.25". Necklaces are made to your chosen length.
Can I wear candy bead jewellery every day?
Absolutely. Just take it off for swimming and showering, and roll stretch bracelets on and off rather than pulling them.
What is dopamine jewellery?
Dopamine jewellery is part of the dopamine dressing trend: wearing bright, joyful colours that make you feel good. Colourful candy bead necklaces and bracelets are a perfect example.
Explore More
Shop the full candy necklaces and bracelets collection, find a dainty layering piece in our silk cord crystal necklaces, or treat someone to a gift voucher.
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