Tutorials
Resin Jewelry Techniques: Crafting a Natural Stone Look
Back in 2021, during the height of the pandemic, I made a conscious effort to carve out time for creativity. With everything feeling so overwhelming, I recognized that when I started to feel down, it was a signal to rebalance my life and MAKE THE TIME to create. So, I blocked out a couple of days on my calendar, cranked up the music in my office, and immersed myself in the joy of creative exploration.
In these unsettled times, creativity is more important than ever for finding balance and joy. I’m thrilled to share these resin explorations with you once again. Check out this updated resin exploration, on creating natural stone effect resin jewelry, and let your creativity shine.
Exploring Natural Stone Effects in Resin Jewelry
I love the look of natural stones and attempted to create a look that was similar. There are a couple steps to create this look, but each piece is a work of art.
The How-To:
Here is a quick and brief explanation of what I did to create this look:
- Clean the Bezels: Start by cleaning the Nunn Design Bezels with rubbing alcohol.
- Prepare the Epoxy Clay: Mix a batch of White Epoxy Clay and press it down into the base of the clean bezel.
- Add Mica Flakes: Using your fingertips, press some gold and silver Mica Flakes into the Epoxy Clay.
- Mix the Resin: Mix a batch of Nunn Design 2-Part Resin.
- Tint the Resin: Add a small amount of White Castin’ Craft Opaque Pigment into the resin and stir until fully blended. The resin should be tinted just slightly so the Mica Flakes remain visible underneath.
- Pour the Resin: Drizzle the colorized white resin over the top of the Epoxy Clay and Mica Flakes. Use a toothpick to go along the edge of the bezel where the Epoxy Clay meets the resin to dislodge any lurking air bubbles. Continue adding the colorized resin until it reaches the top edge of the bezel or forms a dome.
- Add Pure Metal Powder: Take a toothpick and tap pure metal powder over the surface of the white resin. The powder will spread like an oil slick, covering the top.
- Cure and Sand the Resin: Once the resin is cured, use a 0000 piece of steel wool to gently sand the surface. Sand some pieces more than others for varied effects.
- Create Texture: After the resin has cured (around 12 hours, but this can be adjusted), take a pair of scissors and scratch the surface of the resin to create a “grass-like” effect.
Slightly Different Look
For the Grande Pendant Elongated Oval piece, I dipped my fingertip into some pure gold metal powder and smeared it over the entire surface of the scissor scratch marks. This created a striking contrast between the gold powder and the resin.
For the Grande Pendant Half Circle piece, I reversed the process: first, I smeared the pure metal powder across the surface, and then I created the scissor scratch marks on top of it. This gave the piece a unique texture and a different visual effect.
Finally, for both, I mixed another batch of clear resin and poured it over the pieces to create a high dome finish. This added depth and a glossy, polished look, enhancing the overall appearance of the designs.
But What If I…
Here’s how the pure metal powder can change the final look of your resin jewelry:
- For Pieces A and C, I sanded them with 0000 Steel Wool. This gives the surface a more textured, matte finish, which can soften the shine of the resin and create a more subtle, vintage look.
- For Piece B, I chose not to sand it. As a result, the pure metal powder remains smooth, and the resin retains a clean, glossy finish. This creates a more polished, modern appearance.
Ultimately, the choice of whether to sand or not will depend on the aesthetic you’re aiming for. Both techniques offer unique and beautiful results!
Leftover Resin + Matches
I had a lot of colorized and clear resin that was left over from this experiment. I also had used a lot of matches to help get the air bubbles out of my resin (this isn’t something that I typically teach because the resin is flammable. It is really fast though because the heat of the flame makes the air bubbles expand and pop really quickly).
I took the charcoal bits of the matches, dumped them into the cup of resin and stirred it all together. I then poured the mixed resin into the bezels. This was a really cool surprise!
Supplies Needed:
- Nunn Design Bezels
- Nunn Design 2-Part Resin
- White Epoxy Clay
- Gold and Silver Mica Flakes
- White Castin’ Craft Opaque Pigment
- Toothpicks
- 0000 Steel Wool
- Scissors
- Rubbing alcohol
- Pure Metal Powders
(I have found two sources where to buy these metal powders. If you find another, I’d love to know about it! Harryman Designs & Northern West Stuff)
I hope you have enjoyed following along on my creative journey!
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