Craft & Creative Hands

Resin rings or pendants

CostLow

Includes: UV or epoxy resin, moulds or bezels, UV lamp, pigments, tiny tools, sealing coat Example: Starter sets range from €30–€70; upgraded tools or bigger mould sets can bring it to €150+.

What it is

A pressed daisy sealed in clear resin. A swirl of gold foil caught mid-spin. Making resin rings or pendants is like building a tiny world and then wearing it, and once the first piece pops cleanly out of the mould, it is genuinely hard to stop at one.

You work with either epoxy resin, slower to cure but good for layering, or UV resin, which sets in one to three minutes under a small lamp and suits little moulds perfectly. Most people use silicone ring moulds, bezel trays, or pendant frames, then add inclusions: dried flowers, mica pigment, glitter, gold flakes, even tiny pressed leaves or words. Because everything is small, precision tools earn their place, things like toothpicks, fine tweezers, and silicone brushes for nudging a petal into position.

The method is layering. Pour a thin base, set your inclusions, cure or let it firm up, then pour again to lock them in place, building the piece one shallow layer at a time. After it hardens fully you sand any rough edges with a nail file, optionally top-coat for that glassy dome, then attach a ring base or glue on a bail. A starter set runs about €30 to €70, and the inclusions tend to multiply once you start noticing tiny pretty things everywhere.

How it works

Pour a thin base layer first and cure it before adding anything. This single habit separates clean pieces from messy ones, because if you dump inclusions into a full mould they all sink and clump at the bottom. A shallow base, cured solid, gives your flowers and foil something to sit on at the right depth.

Mix your resin to the label ratio and pour just enough to cover the bottom of a silicone ring or bezel. For UV resin, cure it under a small lamp for one to three minutes; for epoxy, wait until it firms to a tacky gel. Then place your inclusions, dried petals, gold leaf, a pigment drop, nudging them into position with a toothpick. Build the piece in shallow layers, curing between each, like making a tiny parfait.

The final pour fills the mould to the brim with clear resin, sealing everything in a dome. Overfill very slightly, because resin shrinks a hair as it cures and surface tension gives you a gently rounded top. Once it's fully hard, pop it from the mould, sand any sharp edges with a fine nail file, and optionally brush on one thin top coat for that glassy finish before attaching a ring base or bail.

Benefits

Creativity Relaxation Self-Expression Gift-Making Focus Training

What you need

Here's what to gather before you start. The essentials are marked.

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UV or epoxy resin

Silicone ring/pendant moulds or bezel trays

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Mould

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UV lamp (for UV resin)

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Uv lamp

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Mixing tools (cups, sticks, toothpicks)

Inclusions: dried flowers, glitter, foil, pigments

Sanding tools or polishing pads

Chain, jump rings, glue-on bails, charm trays Optional

FAQs

How are resin rings and pendants different from larger resin pieces?

The scale changes everything. Small jewellery moulds cure faster, show bubbles more obviously, and demand cleaner mixing because every flaw is right at eye level on a finger or neck. You also need to think about wearability: smooth edges, no sharp burrs, and a piece light enough to wear comfortably. The upside is that a single mix makes several pieces, so you waste very little resin.

What do I embed in resin jewellery?

Almost anything thin and dry. Dried flowers, gold leaf, tiny shells, glitter, or pigment all work. The critical word is dry. Fresh flowers contain moisture that browns and rots inside the resin over weeks, so press and fully dry any botanicals first, ideally in silica gel for a few days. Anything porous, like paper, needs sealing with a thin coat of resin or glue first, or it goes translucent and patchy.

How do I get a smooth, professional finish on the edges?

Sand and polish in stages. Demoulded resin almost always has a slightly rough or sharp edge. Wet-sand with progressively finer sandpaper, starting around 400 grit and working up to 2000, keeping the piece wet to avoid scratches and dust. Finish with a plastic polish or a thin resin topcoat to bring back the gloss that sanding dulls. Skipping the fine grits leaves a cloudy, frosted look.

What hardware do I need to turn a casting into wearable jewellery?

Ring bands, bail findings, jump rings, and earring posts, depending on the piece. You can embed a screw eye into the resin before it cures for a pendant, or glue findings on afterward with a strong jeweller's adhesive like E6000. Adjustable ring blanks let you glue a flat resin cabochon straight on. Buy findings in small assorted packs first so you learn which styles suit your pieces before bulk-buying.

Can I cast a ring directly to fit a finger?

Yes, with a sizing ring mould, but it takes practice to get both the fit and a comfortable inner edge. Resin rings can feel sharp inside if not sanded, and they have less give than metal, so size slightly generously. Many makers prefer casting a flat or domed top and gluing it to a metal band, which is more durable and far more comfortable for everyday wear.

How durable is resin jewellery day to day?

Reasonably durable, with limits. Cured resin resists water and light knocks, but it scratches more easily than metal or glass and can yellow over years with heavy UV exposure. Use a UV-resistant resin if pieces will live in sunlight, and take rings off before heavy hand work. Treated gently, a well-cured piece lasts for years.

⚠️ Wear nitrile gloves and work in a ventilated space. Uncured resin is a skin sensitiser, and repeated unprotected contact can trigger allergic reactions over time.