If you are someone that wants to have a go at making your own resin jewelry, then you are going to need to find out which resin is going to be the best for this purpose.
There are many types of resin to choose from, but not all of them will be suitable for making jewelry. Every type of resin will give you a different result, depending on what you are trying to create.
Finding the best resin for your project can be really difficult, especially if this is something that you have not done before. There are so many products available that the ones you are looking for can sometimes get lost in the crowd, making it even harder to find what you need.
In this article, we are going to share with you our list of the five best resins for jewelry making, so you can go ahead and purchase some for your projects.
As well as this, we are also going to give you some information about the different types of resin that you can use, as well as everything that you need to know about using resin. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you will know exactly what you need to know to get started.
If you are struggling to find some of the best resins that you can use for making jewelry, we are going to share our list of the top five best products with you below.
This will help you to be able to choose between the best jewelry resins for the task at hand.
This type of resin mixture will cure really quickly, and it even features an excellent 40-minute work time, so there is no need to rush when using this product.
This is a product that has been tried and tested to ensure that you will get the best results, even when you add pigments and dyes to the mix.
As well as all of this, this clear resin is self-levelling, self-degassing, and perfect to use with jewelry pieces.
You will be able to use this resin for all of your casting and coating projects, and it will dry to be crystal-clear and completely hard.
Your purchase even comes with a satisfaction guarantee and a 2-year warranty, so you won’t need to worry about poor quality.
Pros
- Fast curing – Your finished product will be fully cured after just 8 hours of waiting, which is much faster than many other products
- Easy to use – This resin has a foolproof 1:1 ration that is beginner-friendly and easy to follow
- Non-yellowing – This resin is resistant to yellowing as it is protected against damage that can be caused by the sun
Cons
- This resin mixture is quite thin, so it may not work well with inks and dies that further thin the mixture
Now that you know exactly where you can find all the best resins for making jewelry, there are a few extra things that you might want to consider before making a final decision.
Some of the things that you might want to think about are your safety when using resin, the different types of resins, and how epoxy resins are used.
We will explain everything that you might need to know below.
How to Stay Safe When Working With Resin
Working with resin is not as safe as many people think it is. This is why it is so important to take the necessary safety precautions when you are working with it.
The hardener is usually the product that contains the most chemicals, so even if the resin itself is ‘non-toxic’, it will not stay that way once it has been mixed with the hardener.
It is also worth noting that you cannot use one product without the other, as the resin cannot harden without the additional product.
Barrier Cream
The first and perhaps most obvious rule is to keep all food and drink away from the area where you are working with resin. You should also wear a barrier cream to protect your skin, or nitrile gloves to protect your hands.
Long Sleeves
It is recommended to wear long sleeves when working with resin to keep your arms covered, and you should only ever work in a well-ventilated area, or outside.
Respirator and Safety Goggles
If you are sanding your resin, you will need to wear a respirator and safety goggles to ensure that none of the dust gets in your eyes or lungs. Try to keep your hands away from your face and other parts of your body. It can also be helpful to wear an apron.
When to Seek Medical Advice
If you do manage to get resin on your skin or in your eyes, rinse the area with plenty of water immediately. If the product gets in your eyes, you should seek medical advice. If you have existing lung or respiratory conditions, you might find that working with resins increases your symptoms.
Types of Resin
There is more than one different type of resin. It can be helpful to know about the various different types to find exactly what you are looking for.
We are going to list some of the most commonly-used resins below for you to read about.
Casting Resin
The first type of resin that we are going to talk about is casting resin, which is ideal for use when making jewelry. The only downside to using this product is that it can easily become quite expensive, but it is completely odorless, crystal clear, and non-toxic after curing.
This type of resin has a low viscosity, which means that it has quite a long curing time, which some may be opposed to. However, you can use thick layers of up to 10 cm with this resin, meaning that it can be used more efficiently for larger projects.
Laminating Resin
Another type of resin that is worth mentioning is laminating resin, which is one of the most widely used epoxy resins available. This type of resin is similar to casting resin, as it also consists of two components.
However, the main difference to casting resin is that this type is much more viscous, which means that it is only suitable for thin layers of resin. It does have a fast curing time, but it can become cloudy and brittle if the layers are too thick.
Polyester Resin
Polyester resin is one of the cheapest resins that you can get, and it is able to harden quite quickly. This type of resin is also very strong and durable, but it does have a really strong odor, and a slightly cloudy surface.
Polyester resin might not always be best-suited for making jewelry as it does not dry as clearly as many other types of resin.
UV Resin
UV resin is one of the best types that you can use for making jewelry as it will cure underneath a UV lamp within just a few minutes.
This resin has no odor at all, and it will offer completely clear results once it has cured. One negative about this type of resin is that it can only be used in thin layers of up to 4 mm.
However, it is usually sufficient for making jewelry. Due to the fact that it is able to dry quickly, you could always go in with more layers afterward if needed. UV resin is also great for embedding small objects in your jewelry.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Epoxy Resin Jewelry?
Epoxy resin jewelry is simply resin jewelry that has been made using epoxy resin. You can be as creative as you like with the process by using epoxy resin, and you will be able to create some stunning results.
It works through a two-component system that can seal your decorative works of art into shapes that can be worn as jewelry.
The process works through mixing an equal ratio of resin and hardener, which will solidify and create clear plastic jewelry pieces. You can add different colors, stones, glitters, and many other materials to make your jewelry projects stand out.
What is Epoxy Resin?
Epoxy resin is a clear mixture of two different curing products that are called resin and hardener. Once they have been mixed together, they create a plastic mixture that you can work with to create different shapes and layers.
Once epoxy resin has completely cured, it will become hard and durable, and it is usually either clear or transparent.
The epoxy part of the mixture is the hardening agent that will work to help your mixture dry, and the resin part of the mixture is an adhesive that will ensure that the mixture can stick to things.
How is Epoxy Resin Used?
Epoxy resin is super easy to use, and most of the time, it will feature a simple 1:1 ratio that is difficult to get wrong. You will have two combine the two components together to generate the perfect resin results.
Something that is worth being aware of is that epoxy can be quite difficult to clean if you miss your target. This is why it is best to use disposable mixing tools and protective equipment.
What Can You Make With Epoxy Resin?
The possibilities are almost endless when it comes to using epoxy resin as it is such a versatile material to work with. It doesn’t stick to silicone, which means that you can use a variety of silicone molds to create different shapes.
Many people use epoxy resin to create jewelry pieces with a variety of decorative things inside. You can add a variety of things to the mixture before it hardens to create the results that you are looking for. This type of resin can be used for many purposes and projects like tumblers or clay sculpting.