How to Make Resin Jewelry with Flowers

Resin looks like it could be intimidating. Mix this part with that, make sure to mix it for so long, and don’t forget to pop the bubbles. I purposely stayed away from resin crafts for fear of making a giant mess of things, but after seeing so many beautiful crafts being made with resin, I have decided it was time that I give it a try.

When choosing resin, I didn’t want to just do articles about one resin or the other, so instead I decided to do a series that reflects the pros and cons of each type of resin. The first half of this post will be about UV resin that cures under a UV lamp in a matter of minutes. The second half will be about 2 part epoxy resin (also known as A+B Resin) that has a work time of 30-45 minutes, and cures in roughly 24 hours.

While shopping online, I found these gorgeous, tiny dried flowers and open faced bezels for necklaces, with the added bonus that the bezels came with cords. Now that I have all of my supplies, lets go make some beautiful flower necklaces using both types of resin.

How to Make Resin Jewelry with Flowers- UV Resin

The UV resin kit that I decided to buy, came with it’s own 16w UV LED lamp and cord. You do have to supply the power block, but it wasn’t hard to find a spare in my house.

Since I am just beginning this resin journey, I decided I needed a project that would not only look great, but would not be overwhelming. So to start, I made this easy necklace made with an open bezel and dried flowers.

Materials

• Open faced bezel pendant- I used the Shynek 72Pcs Hollow Frame Bezels- Found on Amazon- https://geni.us/1wtZGJJ
• Necklace cord and jump ring
• Seamless resin tape- I used LANBEIDE 2 PCS UV Seamless- Found on Amazon- https://geni.us/0x1ke
• Dried flowers- I used TEOYALL 24 Colors Dried Flowers- Found on Amazon- https://geni.us/6z5YJuE
• Tweezers
• Scissors
• UV Resin- I used Mr. Resin 250g UV Resin (Starters Kit)- Found on Amazon- https://geni.us/nw3QDuR
• UV Light
• Needle nose pliers or a jump ring tool
• Safety goggles
• Disposable gloves
• Barbeque lighter or heat gun
• Rubbing alcohol and paper towels for cleanup

Optional

• A silicone work mat- 2 Pack 23.5″X19.5″ Extra Large Silicone Sheets- Found on Amazon- https://geni.us/lw9C

Instructions

1. Once you have your supplies, set up your work area. I would suggest using something to cover your work surface to protect it (I used a silicone mat). I found out very quickly just how easy it is to drip resin on your work station.
2. Next go ahead and plug in the UV light, and make sure all of your tools are close at hand.
3. Before putting on your safety gear, take your seamless tape and cut a piece slightly bigger than your bezel. Choose what side of the bezel you want to be the back and place it to the sticky side of the tape.

4. Using the tweezers, pick out the flower combination you want to add to your necklace. I placed mine on a post it note off to one side in the design I want them in the final product.
5. I cannot stress this enough. Put on your gloves and glasses.
6. With the bezel on the tape in front of you on your work station, remove the cap from your UV resin. Squeeze out a small amount into the center of the bezel (just enough to make a thin layer that touches all the sides of the bezel) being careful to not to go over half way full.
7. Using the tips of your tweezers, or a toothpick, push the resin to the edges of your bezel. Make sure the resin touches each side. If you have any large bubble, you can pop them at this time.

8. If your piece looks anything like mine, you probably have some tiny bubbles in your base layer. This is where your barbeque lighter or heat gun come into play. If using the lighter, light the lighter and wave the flame back and forth over the top of the resin without the flame hitting the resin. Make sure to keep the flame in motion or you may burn the resin. You should notice the bubbles disappearing. The heat gun works pretty much the same way. On a low setting, wave the heat gun back and forth over the resin. It is best to start farther away with the heat gun and work your way closer if you need to, especially if it is a heat gun you are not familiar with. Like with the lighter, be careful not to burn your resin.
9. Now it is time for the UV lamp. My lamp is the one that came with my UV resin set. It is a 16w UV LED lamp. There are different types of UV lamps, along with different wattages of lamp. All of these things will affect how fast your UV resin cures. Use the type of lamp recommended by your resin manufacturer. With the lamp plugged in, place it over the top of the bezel. I turned mine on for 45 seconds to start. For such a thin layer, this worked.

10. Place your flowers onto your base layer of resin inside the bezel. Check to make sure they are where you want them and not poking up above the bezel line, because after the next step, they are permanent.
11. Add another layer of UV resin to the center of the bezel, making sure to push it all the way into the corners and around the edges of the bezel. Be careful not to over flow it.
12. Use your lighter (or heat gun) to pop any lingering bubbles.
13. If you have the patience, this is where I would suggest letting the project sit for about 5 minutes, so that any trapped bubbles will rise and you can take care of them. I however did not have patience and have a raised spot in part of my flower where I cured a bubble in place.

14. Place the UV lamp over the bezel and turn it on for 60 seconds. Once finished, take your tweezers and slightly touch a corner of the resin in a spot that will not be noticed. If it is still soft, put it back under the UV lamp for 45 seconds. You can repeat this step if you need.
15. Remove the tape from the back of the bezel.
16. Using your needle nose pliers or jump ring tool, attach the jump ring to the circle at the top of the bezel, and squeeze it shut with the pliers.
17. Thread your cord through the jump ring and you have a finished necklace.
18. Clean your tools. I used paper towels and rubbing alcohol, to clean my tweezers and any spills on my work surface. If you have a small spill on your silicone mat, you can cure it with your lamp and peel it off.

UV resin really is easy to work with, and can give you the instant gratification you won’t find with a 2 part resin. Since it stays wet until you put it under a UV lamp or in the sunshine, there is plenty of working time. If you need a project done fast, you can have a necklace like this done within 30 minutes (that includes setup and cleanup time).

The down side to it curing by UV light is that you really cannot fully cure a thick project. If you pour a thick layer and try to cure it with your UV lamp, you risk it not hardening all the way through. Even though UV resin is a bit more expensive than 2 part resins, I can honestly say it was worth it in the time that I saved while making these necklaces.

How to Make Resin Jewelry with Flowers- 2 Part Epoxy Resin

The 2 part epoxy resin kit I purchased, came with the resin and hardener, a reusable stir stick, and gloves. Anything other than that, such as a cup to measure and mix in, I had to find myself. Here is how to make the same necklace using 2 part epoxy resin.

Materials

• Open faced bezel pendant -I used the Shynek 72Pcs Hollow Frame Bezels- Found on Amazon- https://geni.us/1wtZGJJ
• Necklace cord and jump ring
• Seamless resin tape- I used LANBEIDE 2 PCS UV Seamless- Found on Amazon- https://geni.us/0x1ke
• Dried flowers- I used TEOYALL 24 Colors Dried Flowers- Found on Amazon- https://geni.us/6z5YJuE
• Tweezers
• Scissors
• 2 part epoxy resin- I used Craft Resin brand 2 part epoxy- A + B Resin – 17 oz kit (Found on Amazon) https://geni.us/DiG8lt
• Mixing / measuring cup
• Stir stick
• Needle nose pliers or a jump ring tool
• Safety goggles
• Disposable gloves
• Barbeque lighter or heat gun
• Rubbing alcohol and paper towels for cleanup

Optional

• A silicone work mat- 2 Pack 23.5″X19.5″ Extra Large Silicone Sheets- Found on Amazon- https://geni.us/lw9C

Instructions

1. Once you have your supplies, set up your work area. I would suggest using something to cover your work surface to protect it (I used a silicone mat). I found out very quickly just how easy it is to drip resin on your work station.
2. Before putting on your safety gear, take your seamless tape and cut a piece slightly bigger than your bezel. Choose what side of the bezel you want to be the back and place it to the sticky side of the tape.

3. Using the tweezers, pick out the flower combination you want to add to your necklace. I placed mine on a post it note off to one side in the design I want them in the final product.
4. I cannot stress this enough. Put on your gloves and glasses.
5. Following the instructions for your resin, mix enough that would fill your bezel. Mine was a one to one ratio mix that you have to mix for at least 3 minutes, but has a 30-45 minute work time.

6. Once mixed, pour a small amount into the center of the bezel to create a very thing layer. Work the resin to the edges and into the corners using your tweezers or a toothpick. Try not to go over the halfway mark on the bezel in thickness.
7. If your piece looks anything like mine, you probably have some tiny bubbles in your base layer. This is where your barbeque lighter or heat gun come into play. If using the lighter, light the lighter and wave the flame back and forth over the top of the resin without the flame hitting the resin. Make sure to keep the flame in motion or you may burn the resin. You should notice the bubbles disappearing. The heat gun works pretty much the same way. On a low setting, wave the heat gun back and forth over the resin. It is best to start farther away with the heat gun and work your way closer if you need to, especially if it is a heat gun you are not familiar with. Like with the lighter, be careful not to burn your resin.

8. Place your flowers onto your base layer of resin inside the bezel. Check to make sure they are where you want them and not poking up above the bezel line.
9. Carefully pour more resin over the top of the flower. If your flower starts to float in places or slides out of place, try using your tweezers or a toothpick to gently move it back in place.
10. Remove the bubbles from this layer once again using your lighter or heat gun.
11. Leave the bezel to cure. I took the tape off of the back of mine after about 24 hours and it was completely hard at this time.

12. Using your needle nose pliers or jump ring tool, attach the jump ring to the circle at the top of the bezel, and squeeze it shut with the plyers.
13. Thread your cord through the jump ring and you have a finished necklace.
14. Clean your tools. I used paper towels and rubbing alcohol, to clean my cup, tweezers and any spills on my work surface.

Though cheaper than UV resin, 2 part epoxy resin takes a bit more of an effort. Mixing time, clean up time, and cure time are all longer than UV resin, however, you can make larger resin crafts that will cure easier than UV Resin.

Which resin you should use really depends on the project you want to make and which one you are most comfortable with. For small projects like this that are only flowers in a bezel, I would definitely recommend using the UV resin. If you want your projects to contain more coloring, like mica powder or glitters, I would recommend the 2 part epoxy, as UV resins recommends not adding more than 6% colorants to the UV resin or is will not cure.