1. Mix It Up
First, grab all of your materials and prep the craft area! Your work area should be dry, level, and dust free. This kit can be messy, so grab some gloves before you prepare the resin application. Decide how much resin you want to make, measure out equal parts resin and equal parts hardener in each measuring cup (exactly 1 to 1 ratio). Then, mix the resin into the hardener and stir it for at least 2 minutes, (or until it goes from cloudy to clear). Set it aside until the bubbles are all gone!
Resin jewelry step 1 mix it up
2. Make It
Now comes the fun part! Start by filling your mold of choice with the resin application about ⅓ of the way full. Then add some gold leaf and a drop of ink (don’t overdue the ink, the resin won’t dry fully). Play around with your design –swirl the ink around, layer it up, or go bold! Add a final layer of resin application into the mold to top it off.
Resin jewelry step 2 make it
3. Cure It
Let the gems cure for a full 48 hours. After 12 hours the resin hardens to a soft cure, this is when you can trim off any excess unwanted resin. After 24 hours, sand off any excess resin and place gems back in the mold to finish curing. For best results, jewelry pieces should cure in a warm dry environment between 70-80ºF.
Resin jewelry step3 cure it
4. Chain It
Almost done! Add a dab of glue to adhere the bail to the back of your gem. Set it aside to dry for 10 minutes. Using the tools, trim the chain to a desired length, string it through the bail and attach a few jump rings with a lobster clasp. Your resin gems are finally complete and ready to wear!