[Kim]

Noob here … my first resin project I added some crystal rhinestones and beads to the resin. All were fully submerged in the resin, & 18 hours later they vanished! The only thing you could see of the rhinestones were the foil backs, and the beads were “gone” (I could actually feel the bump of the beads were they sort of poked thru the resin). Is there a way to use crystals, or are they a no-go for use as an inclusion? Thank you.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Kim,

It sounds like the heat of your resin dissolved the crystals.

I don’t like using crystals in resin as I don’t think they sparkle as well. Instead, I find a way to apply them to the top. Here’s an example: https://www.resinobsession.com/resin-tutorials/resin-and-crystal-pendant/

[Kim]

Thank you for such a prompt reply! I thought the crystals being glass would be okay in the resin but I guess not. Thankfully I didn’t use my expensive Swarovski for my first attempt, only cheapies. I may look into those setting burrs if I use more crystals in my resin designs.

[Alex]

I doubt the crystals melted. Whats more likely to happen has to do with light diffraction properties in the crystal matching the light diffraction properties of the resin. If the rhinestone is relying on light bouncing off of the foil back to show the details and go through the crystal then the resin disrupting the lines of the crystal would take away its ability to reflect any details it otherwise would’ve shown. Now, i’m not 100% on the physics of this since i’m a biologist, but I do believe that’s more likely than the rhinestones melting. I’d be curious to know if anybody else could corroborate my theory.

[Rhonda J Hunter]

Alex, My sister is a retired geologist. She says you’re assumptions about refraction are correct, for glassy or clear crystals. She had a class where the students tried to prepare rocks with crystals for display. One girl tried resin. You could make out the rock shape, but the surface “sparkles” disappeared.

[Alex]

Thank you for the reply. I’m glad to hear my rudimentary physics is still looking ok, haha.

[Kim]

Thank you Alex & Rhonda, this makes sense. I appreciate the science behind your answers. 😊

[Author]

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