How to Make Morse Code Jewelry

You have probably heard of Morse code before but most likely not in the context of jewelry design. Morse code was invented nearly 200 years ago in 1830 by Samuel F.B. Morse. It was created as a way of sending messages via a telegraph (remember that phones were not invented until 1849, and the first US patent for a phone wasn’t granted until 1876). Morse code is a series of dots and dashes which represent the letters of the alphabet. By recording the dots and dashes and then deciphering them, you can spell out names, places, sentences, and more.

A recent trend in jewelry design has been to create jewelry with Morse code dots and dashes represented by beads and standing for letters. This is a lovely and cleverly subtle way of personalizing jewelry. You can create “mother's” bracelets with kids’ names spelled out in Morse code or “best friend” designs with names on them. You can also write short quotes, place names, or special words of encouragement in code.

In the example above, one gold seed bead represents a dot and 3 gold beads represent a dash. Blue seed beads are used to separate the dots and dashes that make up a letter, and 5 purple seed beads are used to separate the letters.

Here is a chart which shows the alphabet in Morse code:

To make life easier, we have put a Morse code generator on the Beadaholique website. All you need to do is type in a name or word and it will spell out in Morse code the dots and dashes you need to use.

Seed beads are an excellent option for making Morse code jewelry. One single seed bead can represent a dot and two or three seed beads can represent a dash. You could also consider using crimp tubes for a modern sleek look or use a seed bead for a dot and a small bugle bead for a dash in a design. There are lots of options! The key is to look at beading supplies in a new light and see what you can use in this new way. If you are using dots and dashes all made out of the same seed bead style, you will want to use another color of seed bead between them so you can clearly see the pattern. Then you might want to consider a third color seed bead for the space between letters or use more seed beads to make a larger gap between the letters. It takes a little playing with, but in no time you will figure out your own style for making Morse code jewelry!