Create Your Own Resin Jewellery – the book

I’ve started on my book over the last few days and aim to offer it for sale on 1st March 2009 in e-book form, followed shortly by a limited number of paperback books in a compact 6×9″ size.  There will be 12 projects to follow and approximately 80 full colour pages. The e-book will be for sale at £7.99 and the book £12.99 plus p&p. I am starting to offer this as a preorder item, and for a limited time only (until the 15th February) I will be offering the book to preorderers for a special price of £5 for the e-book and £10 for the paperback.

To preorder, click here
Here’s what the book includes!

Contents
Foreword by Cindy Carter from Resin Obsession
Introduction
Resin: The Basics
A description of the properties of polyester and epoxy resins, equipment needed and a guide to mixing resin successfully.

PROJECTS
1) Abalone shell necklaces
Using shells as bezels, embedding starfish, faux pearls and other co-ordinating elements with clear resin.
2) Bottle cap keyrings and magnets
How to print and coat paper for embedding into bottle caps as a ready made bezel.
3) Recycled fabric pendants
Single layer embedding into a ready made mould. Introducing sanding and drilling techniques.
4) Metal leaf jewellery effects
Adding fragments of gold, silver and copper leaf to create precious autumnal jewellery.
5) Swirled dye earrings and bracelets
Introduces transparent and opaque pigments, mix ratios and filling pre-made moulds with part mixed dye.
6) Decal pendants
Create perfectly clear pendants featuring decal transfers.
7) Layering with glitter
Making pieces with three layers for a 3-dimensional effect.
8 ) Making your own moulds
Introducing RTV Silicone and Vinamould, how to use each material, and when to choose one over the other. Shows you how to make a basic band ring mould and stud earring mould.
9) Introducing gelcoat as a glue
Making stud earrings and adhering the posts with gelcoat resin.
10) The ice resin technique
How and when to manipulate part cured resin, and create freeform imitation ice pieces without a mould.
11) Embedding Swarovski stones and gemstones
Selecting the correct drill bit, and affixing stones and Austrian crystal into cured pieces.
12) Plique-a-jour bracelet
Filling hollow objects to create a window effect. This project specifically shows how to fill a cross section of deer antler to create an unusual charm for a bracelet.

Troubleshooting
How to solve commonly faced problems, such as tacky surfaces and cleaning spillages.
Where to buy?

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Competition and Poll!

This is a really important post for me. I’m going to make it a sticky for a while so I can get as many votes as possible…

I have written a proposal for a resin jewellery book, which would reveal the secret behind my ice jewellery as well as 9 other projects for the beginner to intermediate resin crafter. Unfortunately, the publishers in this country don’t think there is a market for it. I need you to change that! This competition is mainly for the UK readers, but US ones are welcome to participate (I think it’s only fair).

The prize is one of my ice rings (pictured), and to enter, all you need to do is leave an honest comment to this post.

The two questions I would like you to answer are: Would you buy a resin jewellery craft book? and Where do you live? If you would like to leave further comment on what you would expect from the book, price, whether you would also accept it in e-book form, etc that would be great. The winner will be picked at random on October 25th 2008.

Thank you for your help!

Embedding gems…. not right this time

Here’s the product of embedding gemstones in resin…. the clear stones didn’t come out very well, I think I need foil lined ones so that they sparkle, and to use less gelcoat for attaching them! I’ve got some coloured stones on order, so will try again soon. We learn from our mistakes 🙂

Resin Obsession blog entry :)

I am really happy- I have been featured on the Resin Obsession blog: http://resinobsessionblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-resin-technique-turns-earrings-into.html

Cindy has been really supportive and has given me lots of advice about these pieces. She knows a lot about resin, and hasn’t seen anything like my ice pieces before, which is definitely encouraging (and I can continue to say that it is my technique only) and she was genuinely excited by them. I can’t look at that picture of the earrings and the dodgy jump ring now though, it makes me cringe! I will be changing the picture on the Etsy listing today so it can’t hurt me anymore!

Resin clouds

Alex thinks that this looks a bit like clouds, so think I will add a blue background to the next ones I make…

I made these by swirling a tiny amount of white Trylon opaque paste in the clear precatalysed resin, and pouring without mixing too thoroughly. I love the unpredicability of it!

Ice crystal jewellery

It turns out that the ice crystal technique does translate to jewellery quite well…

Now available in my Etsy shop!

New technique!

Last night I developed a new mouldless technique for working with resin that I’ve called “mashing”. I’ll make sure I write about it in my book, when I finally sit down and write something. This is the product of that, they look like naturally formed rock crystals or ice (the pinkiness is a trick of the light)! Thing is, I don’t know what to make with them now! Please make a comment or e-mail me if you have any ideas!