How To: Make Resin Jewellery

How To: Make Resin Jewellery – Jewellery making is a fun and creative activity. Epoxy Resin is such a versatile material that can be used to make such unique and beautiful jewellery pieces. In this blog post we will explore the steps to make jewellery with Epoxy Resin.

Make/Prepare your moulds – There are many kinds of silicone moulds available to create different style jewellery. If you have something specific you are wanting to make or have an object that you would like to replicate, the best process would be to create your own mould using Silicone Rubber. We sell 2 types of silicone, both of which can be used for making moulds. (Instructions on making silicone moulds can be found on the bottles.)

Alternatively, you can buy pre-made silicone jewellery moulds. Most Jewellery Silicone Moulds you buy will have little knobs in the piece, which is a great bonus as this creates a hole when you de-mould your resin pieces and saves you having to drill into the resin. (We will explain more, further in the post)

Once you have your moulds bought or made, we always recommend giving them a few coats of Ease Release. This is a silicone spray release agent, which will help prolong the life of your mould. You can find more on this in a previous blog post:- How To: Care for Silicone Moulds.

Decide on additives – It is always important to pre-plan as best as possible, especially if you are creating a large number of pieces at one time. To make your jewellery pieces unique, there are many different additives or embellishments that can be added into resin. Things that can be added into resin include: Colour Pigments, Powders, Alcohol Inks, Glitters (Fine or Chunky), Flowers, Leaf Flakes, Crushed Glass, Shells, Gems and so much more! The options are kind of endless really.

Top Tip – If you are working with flowers or other ‘real’ materials, we recommend drying and/or sealing them first. You can find more on this in a previous blog post:- How To: Dry Flowers 

When working with silicone moulds, we always recommend our U RESIN Cast resin system. This is a super clear and fast curing, casting resin system.

Measuring and Mixing Resin – This is a pretty standard step that applies to any resin project process. If you aren’t 100% confident, read the basic how to instructions provided with our kits of Epoxy Resin or find more information and videos in a previous blog post:- How To: Measure and Mix Correctly

Add Decorative Elements – As we mentioned earlier, if you are adding powders, glitter, dried flowers, flakes etc. this is when you can add it into your moulds or mix it into your resin and pour.

Things to be aware of:
– Avoid using heat on or near your moulds as much as possible. Heat will deteriorate the silicone and lead to less usage.
– Adding Isopropyl to your mould or resin can help with bubble release, however Isopropyl will deteriorate the mould as it is a solvent + it can cause the resin to become highly flammable and potentially soft depending how much is added.
– Using too much colour pigment or other additives can lead to softer resin pieces once cured.
– Try to avoid over filling your moulds. Over filling can lead to an uneven finish, or spread over your mould which become harder to clean up or remove any excess from your jewellery piece.
– Under filling your moulds can lead to a dipped finish and sharp edge. This however, can be fixed by gently sanding the edge with very fine sand paper or adding a clear coat of U RESIN Liquid Glass, otherwise known as a doming layer for a smoother and glossier finish.

Pouring – The slower you mix the less air is worked into the resin which means less bubbles are created. Then by slow pouring into your moulds will also assist with dispersing any air bubbles. If air bubbles do appear, the best tool to use is a toothpick or similar. A toothpick is a small yet sharp item that can get into any small area or crevice which will help release any air pockets forming. This is a much better option over using heat.

Curing and De-moulding – Allow your jewellery to cure for a minimum of 24 hours. Longer depending on the weather (if it’s cold) and what resin system is being used. (follow manufacturers instructions)

If using U RESIN Cast, when de-moulding after 24 hours, the pieces will generally still be soft and/or flexible. This is totally normal. In this instance, you can leave the items in the mould longer for them to harden up or de-mould and place all items on a flat surface and allow to harden further.

When de-moulding, move around the mould, creating an air pocket and gently push the pieces out. Avoid pulling the resin pieces directly out or only removing from one side, without loosening the piece around the mould. Without loosening the pieces in the mould can lead to stretched silicone which then becomes unusable or potentially tearing the little knob which creates the hole in your resin pieces that could also get stuck to your resin.

As we mentioned earlier in our post, some moulds (like the ones you can find available in our store) have little knobs in the mould. These are generally centered in the mould to create a hole once your resin piece is de-moulded. This means there is no need for drilling into your resin before attaching your findings.

If you have created jewellery pieces without the holes from the mould, allow your resin to sit flat and cure for at least 1 week before attempting to drill into the resin. During the first week, the resin can still be soft, flexible or brittle. Jewellery, being small pieces can mean the resin will crack, split or break from the pressure or heat caused whilst drilling.

Attaching Findings – Once your resin has cured hard and/or you have drilled your holes, its time to attach any findings you wish. Findings include: earring hooks, jump rings, stud backings or chain. These findings can easily be attached using pliers or other jewellery-making tools you may have.

If you are using stud backings, we recommend using an adhesive like super glue to attach the resin and backing together. This is much quicker than using and waiting for resin to cure. If you are gluing the backings on, lightly sand the back of the resin and the stud (if possible) as this will create better adhesion between the resin and backing.

Now thats pretty much all there is to it! Pieces you make can be mixed and matched. Add stud backings, hoops or loops to create various styled resin jewellery pieces. The combination and styles are truly endless!