A quick review of the latest fashion magazines will reveal the growing popularity of beaded bracelets. Hollywood starlets and teenage hipsters have all picked up on the trend. A variety of beaded bracelets featuring glass, wooden, gemstone, and metal beads can instantly transform an understated, conservative look into a hip, fashionable one.

One popular style is from the small island of Murano, off the coast of Venice, Italy. In the late 1200s, the Venetian government moved all the glassmakers out of the area because of the fire hazard associated with their factories. The island of Murano became the world's center for glassmaking and is still famous for the beautiful glass art and jewelry that is crafted there. Italian bead bracelets are coveted because of their myriad brightly colored glass beads.

The 'Bohemian Chic' style currently gracing runways, fashion magazines, and shop window displays is perfect for showing off these stylish bracelets. Choose from antique and vintage beaded bracelets, as well as reproduction vintage styles in materials such as rose gold, wood, ruby, jade, sapphire, or crystal. For more formal looks, you might consider wearing a simpler, single-strand glass beaded bracelet.

Beaded bracelets can be worn individually or along with other jewelry. You can even find sets of matching beaded bracelets, necklaces and earrings. Some bracelets feature only one strand of beads while others feature multiple strands interwoven with each other. They vary from large, chunky, wooden beads to tiny sterling silver beads. If you're feeling creative, you could make your own beaded jewelry--let your imagination run wild and choose to make a bracelet from many different colored beads, or stick with something more simple and string a bracelet from a strand of pearls or colored glass beads.