How to make epoxy resin jewelry pieces

In this article from Feroca, we're going to learn from scratch how to create your own jewelry pieces using different materials such as modeling putties, molding silicones and transparent resins.

Before we get started, let's define what kind of jewelry pieces you'll be able to make. With this technique, you'll be able to mass-produce simple pieces. And with practice and creativity, you'll become an expert and be able to make more elaborate ones.

One thing to keep in mind is that these designs need to be simple and have a flat side through which you can pour the material.

The results will be: pendants, earrings, bracelet beads and similar pieces. With finishes that are transparent, polished and glossy, encapsulated, color combinations and shapes, etc.

Now that you know what kind of pieces you'll be able to create after reading this article, it's time to walk you through the steps you'll need to follow to get unique pieces.

How to make jewelry pieces? Step by step

Below, so you can learn the process of creating jewelry pieces in a practical way, we're going to walk you through making a simple prism-shaped pendant:

1. Determine the design of the piece

First, sketch the piece on paper, thinking about where the hole will go for the ring that will hang it from the chain or cord of the pendant.

2. Choose the best option for producing your piece

Once you have the design of the piece, you have two options: model it in 3D and print it, or make it by hand.

Making jewelry pieces by hand

To make the piece by hand, there are many ways: with a block of wood by sawing and sanding, modeling it with an epoxy putty, modeling with polymer clay, among others.

Things to keep in mind when making jewelry pieces with epoxy putty

• If you use the epoxy putty option, you'll need the following: the Epofer EX610-A + E610-B putty.

It's a two-component putty that's mixed in equal parts, giving you a working time of around 40 minutes and a cure time of 6 hours.

• For modeling you can use metal modeling tools that are very easy to clean (we don't recommend wooden tools, because that material doesn't allow you to clean them properly and they get ruined).

• To smooth the surface, you can use a brush and isopropyl alcohol.

• Once the modeling is done, you need to let it cure for the indicated time.

Things to keep in mind when making jewelry pieces with polymer clay

• If you decide to use polymer clay, you have two options in terms of modeling hardness: a softer one Super Sculpey Beige and a firmer one Super Sculpey Firm Gray.

These clays have no cure time. You can model as much as you want and, once you're done, you bake them at 130°C for 15 minutes per every 6 millimeters of thickness.

3. Sand the hardened rectangular prism

Once you have your hardened prism, whether made with putty, clay, wood, 3D printed... You need to sand it lightly with wet sandpaper starting at 400P, then 600P, 800P and 1000P consecutively. Pay close attention to the edges of the prism so they come out as clean as possible.

When you've finished this step, clean the piece thoroughly and prepare it for making the mold.

4. How to make silicone molds for jewelry

Preparing the formwork

• On a smooth surface such as foam board, you'll need to attach the piece with a small dab of hot silicone (about the size of a lentil).

To prevent flash lines in the mold, seal the base with a little industrial clay.

• Leaving a 1 centimeter margin on each side of the piece, attach some walls of the same foam board with a height greater than 1 centimeter above your piece

This structure is called a formwork and the negative space inside it corresponds to your future silicone mold.

Mixing the silicone

Once you have the formwork ready, you'll need to proceed with mixing the silicone.

• To find out how much silicone you'll need, you can pour some rice into the formwork, almost to the top, and then pour it into a plastic cup.

• Finally, make a mark on the cup at the level the rice reached to know the volume of silicone you'll need.

Prepare the silicone mixture

• In this case, we're going to use the TinSil 80-30 with a 24-hour curing agent.

This silicone comes with three different types of catalysts, depending on the cure time: 24, 6, and 2 hours.

We use the 24 h one because it allows you to remove air bubbles more easily that may remain in the mixture, although the 6-hour one could also work.

• Place the cup on a kitchen or jeweler's precision scale and tare the cup.

• Open the container of Silastic 3481 and homogenize the silicone by mixing it thoroughly.

• After 2 minutes, pour it into the cup (tared) until it's 3 or 4 millimeters above the mark you made earlier (better to have a little too much than not enough).

• Let's say you have 100 grams of silicone. For that amount you'll add 5 grams of catalyst and mix for 5 minutes, making sure to scrape the sides of the cup, the bottom and any residue on the mixing stick.

We always recommend using disposable mixing sticks for convenience and safety. We don't recommend using the same stick for everything.

• Once it's mixed, you'll need to pour the mixture into the mold. To do this, you should hold the cup between 30 and 40 centimeters above the mold, pour into a corner of the mold and let it fall in a thin stream.

This way you'll not only avoid creating bubbles, but any that do form will break.

• Once poured, you'll need to let it dry for the indicated 24 hours.

• Once the silicone has cured, demold and clean the mold so that no residue remains.

If there are any flash lines, you can trim them with manicure scissors.

• Once the mold is dry, you can make the first epoxy resin pour.

5. Create exclusive jewelry pieces

For these jewelry pieces, you'll need a transparent resin with UV ultraviolet filter. The ClearWater Epoxi para Joyería is the most suitable, since its fast cure time (24 hours) will allow you to make small pieces faster than the other version ClearWater Epoxi para Joyería.

This is where your imagination and skill in combining materials, pigments, inorganic elements, organic elements, etc. come into play. The only thing you need to keep in mind is that they must be dehydrated, as moisture affects these resins.

The best pigments for transparent epoxy resin

These are the pigment combinations you can use to get amazing, top-quality results in your handmade jewelry pieces:

• Polycolor Dyes

A range of 8 colors in 56 gr containers. These are highly concentrated pigments, so a single drop can color a large amount of resin.

They're ideal for achieving both translucent and opaque tones.

• Ultracolor

A wide range of colors at a very affordable price.Ideal for making transparent jewelry pieces.

• Pigmentos Piñata

The Pigmentos Piñata are inks that blend very well with ClearWater Epoxi para Joyería resin in any of its versions and are highly concentrated. It's recommended to add them gradually to achieve transparent effects.

Keep in mind:

The mixing ratio for ClearWater Epoxi para Joyería resin is 2:1 by weight. So for every 100 grams of part A, you need to add 50 grams of part B. The amount of pigments, fillers or elements you want to add will depend on the effects you want to achieve.

6. Polishing the piece

Once the pendant has cured you'll need to polish it, as it will be a little cloudy. You can do this the same way you sanded the model. Using wet sandpaper at 400P, 600P, 800P, 1000P and 1500P consecutively.

And finally, polish with Polarshine 10 polishing paste, specially designed to bring out the shine on pieces that have been sanded above 1500P.

This procedure should be done with any type of piece made by hand or taken from prefabricated molds, to achieve a perfect shine.

Making pieces with transparent epoxy resin is very straightforward — you just need to carefully follow the steps we've outlined and keep practicing, so the results look more and more professional each time.

Transparent epoxy resin, the best resin for making jewelry and costume jewelry

The hardness, transparency and shine of this resin make it the most suitable for creating stunning, high-quality pieces, perfect for jewelry and costume jewelry.

Making resin rings, pendants, earrings, bracelets, etc. will be very simple — you just need to buy your transparent epoxy resin at our stores in Madrid or through the Feroca website, and follow the step-by-step guide we've shared with our best tips.

Don't wait any longer — get your resin and all the supplies you need to start creating dream pieces.

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