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The Easy Way to Make Resin Jewellery The beauty of resin jewellery is such, that it is displayed as adornment on people everywhere. It has even been displayed in shopping malls and centres around the world. When cast correctly, the quality of resin jewellery makes it impossible to tell it apart from real amber, jade, and turquoise. Resin jewellery has become very popular and even the commercial jewellery makers are excited over the production of new resins, which are safe to use and easy to handle. These new resins have opened up the imagination of artists around the world. Artists are creating wonderfully unique and impressive pieces that the public loves. The revolution created by these new resins allows an artist to delve past the brilliance of nature and create customized colours, textures, and looks. The new jewellery pieces come in all shapes, sizes, and dimensions. Using silicone artists can reproduce their ideas by making moulds. This alone has given the hobby a pleasing dimension that is limited only by the imagination. The new resins combined with the creation of moulds means that artist no longer have to wait for new designs. They can simply create them on their own. If you are making and selling jewellery, this means that you can now design and create your own unique beads, pendants, and centre stones. There is nothing that you cannot design when you are able to create your own moulds. TIP: Use the internet to find the best prices. What has changed is the quality of new resins and the fact that an artist can now make their own moulds. This has added a refreshing and enduring quality to home jewellery making. Those qualities had been missing from the industry. With their addition, jewellery making has become a home based business opportunity for many people around the world. Polyester resins are not new to the industry, and they are valued because of the glass like quality that they give to cast pieces. They are not used as often these days because of the noxious odour that is emitted by the catalyst MEKP, which is essential to the process. Polyester resins are still essential for all larger pieces above 170gm in size.. An alternative to the noxious polyester resins are the epoxy resins which lack the noxious odour of the polyester resins. These are safe to use and easy to handle. CrystalCast is a brand of epoxy that is usually the most economical to buy. It mixes at a ratio of 2:1 and is fairly translucent. CrystalCast WaterClear is a new product that has a finished clarity that is about the same as water. This product mixes at a 1:1 ratio, and comes with an added benefit. It is perhaps the resin that is the most bubble free of the clear resins used to cast jewellery. Because of its low viscosity, it rarely requires vacuum bubble extraction and/or pressure casting so often required for clear resins. One of the most popular resins is one made from polyurethane, and offered by CraftCast. This is one of the newer developments in resins. Craftcast White is safe and very easy to handle. It has a mixing ratio of 1:1, but its advantage is its fast setting time. It hardens in 3-4 minutes and can be removed from the mould in about 10 minutes. The fact that is similar to water when mixed means that it is a perfect resin for picking up all of the fine details of your mould. Other resins in the polyurethane range are CraftCast Regular which is the lowest cost resin of its type, mixes 1:1 and is tan in colour. Other polyurethane resins are CraftCast Clear and CraftCast Black both 1:1 mixing with rapid demoulding times. The black can be very dramatic when used with a suitable design. What would Jewellery making be without the concept of creating beads and pieces that are unique and precious. Thanks to the large number of dyes and pigments available, artist now have the option of an unlimited colour pallet. Even the creation of specialized faux gems like opals is possible simply by adding metallic powders to your project. Because we support the individual artist, we stock a wide selection of pre-made moulds, along with all of the casting products that we have mentioned in this article. For those of you who are interested in making your own moulds CraftSil is a general purpose silicone suitable for most jewellery making designs. Remember silicone moulds can be used to bring your imagination to life. All of these products are easy to use and safe. Beginners may also be interested in jewellery making kits and stock resin jewellery moulds. They come in a wide range of shapes and sizes and can be used to intermix with custom pieces for a fresh new look. They make the possibility of jewellery making a reality. Let your imagination run wild. Stan Alderson has over 30 years experience in the art and craft field. Visit http://www.aldersonartsandcrafts.com.au/resin-jewellery/ and subscribe to the newsletter and receive FREE crafts tips and articles.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stan_Alderson
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