There are lots of different variations of design, each with different ways of calculating your cycle but the basic concept is that there are 3 distinct parts of the cycle:

• your period
• a fertile time
• a non fertile time

This is represented by 32 beads with a marker to move each day along the beads. When your period starts between 26 and 32 days, you simply move the marker back to the beginning.

Common design features

• Sets of cycle beads most commonly have 32 beads
• The first bead marks the first day of the cycle (first day of period), followed by 6 non-pregnancy days
• Then 12 possible pregnancy days
• These are followed by 13 unlikely pregnancy days

Note – this is a simplification – there are differences in dates in the different designs.

Other colour coding options

• The last 5 days are for those who have more than 26 day cycles (32 being the last day on the cycle) – You could have a different coloured bead to mark where a 26 day cycle would end
• Some necklaces have a different coloured bead for the day you are most likely to conceive
• There seems to be a ‘grey area’ between your period ending and the fertile time beginning. You could colour code this too

Marker options

• A rubber ring slides over the beads
• A ‘charm’ or short length of beads clips inbetween the beadsto mark the days
• Beads slide over a knot as a marker
• The bead itself is the marker and a gap is left – might not be the best option for jewellery

Other design options

• You can choose beautiful colours and shapes (that are more subtle than stop/start red and green)
• You can have an arrow pointing the direction the cycle goes in
• You can also customise your necklace to your own cycle by removing beads

UPDATE 2022 – There are a lot more versions around, many with a focus on health and energy.