Jewelry Resin Buying Guide

Discover which jewelry resin supplies and jewelry casting supplies you need for great resin jewelry projects and where to buy those supplies.

Resin

When you buy jewelry resin, keep in mind that different types of resin work well for different applications.

Coating Resin

Coating resin is used in projects where you want to apply a thin layer of resin over an item to give it a smooth, glossy finish.

Two popular brands of coating resin are Envirotex Lite, available at Blick Art Materials and Colores, available through Rio Grande.

Casting Resin

Casting resin is used when you want to create a 3 dimensional cast from a mold or fill some type of small container (like a bezel) with jewelry resin. Coating uses a think layer of resin, while casting requires a thicker layer of resin.

When you are using resin for casting, you can choose between polyurethane casting resin and polyester casting resin. I've tried both, and I really prefer polyurethane casting resin.

Castin'Craft EasyCast Clear Casting Epoxy is the casting resin I like to use.

Bezels

It can be hard to find the bezels for making resin jewellery. I have always bought mine from Rio Grande, but you do need to have a wholesale account to make purchases from them.

HEART BEZEL PENDANT from ArtBeads.com

Another fabulous place for buying bezels for making resin jewelry is Artbeads.com. They have added a line of some gorgeous bezels. From their home page, find "Mixed Media and Metal Working" on their left navigation bar. Click there to go to their bezels for resin jewelry making.

Molds

Pre-made Molds

Pre-made molds for resin jewelry making are fairly easy to come by. Check out your local art and/or craft supply store and you will probably find a few options.

You can also find a good range of molds at Blick Art Materials. Just go to the serch bar at the top right corner of any page on their site, and search for "resin jewelry molds".

Make Your Own Molds

Making your own molds for jewelry resin casting is simple and opens up amazing design possibilities for making resin jewelry.

My all time favorite mold making material is Smooth-On Oomoo 30 Silicone liquid silicone rubber.

I just love this stuff. A new batch of Oomoo delivered to my door always means a fun round of experimenting.

Oomoo is easy to use (just mix it gently and pour it into a container with the item you want to cast), creates sturdy molds and is inexpensive, but, unfortunately, I have found it's not readily available in most craft or art supply stores, so I always order it online.

The mold making material that is sold by most local art or craft supply stores is liquid latex for mold making (it's the kind you have to brush on in layers). I really do not like brush on liquid latex for mold making. I find it takes forever to make a usable mold using liquid latex, because you have to brush on so many layers and let each layer dry. And the molds you end up with are not as sturdy as molds made with a mix and pour silicone mold making product like Oomoo.

Mold Release

If you are going to use any kind of molds for jewelry resin projects, you'll need some mold release. Mold release helps the resin to easily pop out of the mold once it has cured. You should have no problem finding mold release any good craft supply store, and you can buy Castin' Craft Mold Release in a Spray Pump Bottle (which is the kind I have always used) online from Blick Art Materials.

Measuring and Mixing

Mixing your jewelry resin and hardener in exactly the right proportions is absolutely crucial for good results when making resin jewelry. You'll need small, graduated mixing cups (graduated cups are cups that have units marked on the cup for measuring) for mixing and measuring your resin.

I would suggest that you avoid buying graduated cups from art supply stores. You'll end up paying a lot more than necessary.

If you're mixing small amounts of resin, simply go to your local drugstore and ask for a package of medicine cups (the kind you use to measure liquid medicine for young children). They are the same as the cups sold specifically for use with resin, but they are usually a lot less expensive at a drugstore.

Removing Bubbles

The best way to remove bubbles from resin is with a heat gun. Some people recommend other options (like blowing through a straw, holding a match over the resin, or using a hair dryer), but all of those options have problems and don't work as well as a heat gun.

I bought my heat gun from Michael's with one of their 40% off coupon, so it was very inexpensive. If you don't have a Michael's or other large craft supply store nearby, Blick Art Materials carries the Master Ecoheat Heat Gun for around $40.00.