Resin Jewelry

Design Idea NB2S Necklace and Earrings
by Jessie, Exclusively for Fire Mountain Gems and Beads®

Stop time and suspend motion, magnify images, mold custom faux-gemstone cabochons, re-purpose found objects or preserve precious memories with a lock of hair or ashes. With resin, you are only limited by your imagination.

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This versatile liquid was originally used for industrial varnishes and adhesives; now it drives one of the most popular jewelry trends in modern fashion history.

Types of Resin

There are many kinds of resin, but not all are suited for jewelry making. To keep things simple, Fire Mountain Gems and Beads offers two types: jeweler's-grade resin and Magic-Glos®. Each has several benefits and similar results, so experiment with both to find out which fits your project and preferences.

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Jewelry resin is a self-doming two-part formula that dries to the touch in 6-12 hours. Resin is excellent for larger mold casting, mix-ins and projects you know will be in frequent contact with water.

Magic-Glos doesn't require you to calculate and mix ratios and cures in minutes under a UV light or sunlight. This resin works best when applied in thin layers and is a great choice for smaller projects or layering elements.

Both options dry clear and easily work with an array of components and techniques.

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All-Inclusive Creativity

Most resins cure clear, but you can easily change the color with dyes and pigments and specially made, highly saturated tints. You can color the entire batch or swirl color through after the resin has been poured. Create wafts of smokey grey, colorful combinations, blue ocean-inspired waves and countless other looks. Mix in glitter or confetti for a fun and festive way to add tiny pops of color and sparkle. Remember to use colorants with low moisture, as it can affect the resin's curing process.

Resin Jewelry Resin Jewelry Resin Jewelry

Much of resin's appeal comes from the magic of arranging small items in jewelry settings and pouring resin over them. This is where your individual creativity really comes into play, as almost anything can be enveloped in this transparent medium. Use unconventional items like sprinkles to form delicious designs or bring a steampunk edge with watch gears. Coat clusters of crystals, rhinestones or gemstone chips for dazzling visual variety and shine. Blend glitter and micro beads for a star flecked sky, undersea scene or an abstract assemblage.

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Become your own lapidary and capitalize on the popularity of cabochons with your own custom "gemstones" created with glass glitters. Mix the powders, pour or apply them directly to the setting, then cover them in resin to create a beautiful faux druzy or geode. Glass glitters may also mimic the signature flash of opal for a fraction of the cost.

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A Mold New World

For a free-standing feel, use a mold or doming mat made of a flexible material, like silicone, to shape mixed resin or Magic-Glos® layers into a pendant, bangle, earrings and more. View a free video on casting with resin using flexible, silicon molds here. These three-dimensional faceted molds are reusable and easy to clean. There's no setting or backing required. Once the resin has cured, it can be easily drilled or glued to a bail to attach chain, cord, jump rings or earring findings.

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Seemingly suspended, dried flowers, leaves and other natural materials are great inclusions for this style of resin jewelry. View our broadcast, originally aired on Facebook Live, for a step-by-step walkthrough of this type of project. Artists have even gone so far as to create miniature faux biomes by composing tiny organic elements, like mushrooms and insects, into a scene of permanent stasis layered within resin. Here's a free video presented by Lisa Pavelka on ''How to Use Resin in Open Settings''. This method is a fun way to create small buttons, stud earrings, water droplet effects, pendants, cufflinks and all sorts of other things!

Watch and learn how to make resin jewelry on our Facebook Live channel

Once you have mastered the dome and are comfortable controlling the resin's surface tension, forgo the mold altogether. Carefully drop resin onto sealed images and other small items. Though achievable with a two-part resin, it is much easier with UV resins like Magic-Glos®. This method is a fun way to create small buttons, stud earrings, water droplet effects, pendants, cufflinks and all sorts of other things!

Resin Jewelry Resin Jewelry
Resin Jewelry Resin Jewelry

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