You’ve made a beautiful resin charm, and can’t wait to wear it. Except you have no idea how to make that happen. Do you need equipment? Fancy metal supplies? And what if you’ve never done this before?
Don’t worry. I’m going to show you how to make your resin charms wearable using jewelry findings.
Findings? Yep. That’s what you call them. And you’re right – it’s a peculiar thing to call them and I have no idea why.
Jewelry findings is the catch-all term for unused components you use with resin charms to make them wearable. These include:
*Metal blanks
*Bails
*Bead inserts
Now that you know what the term jewelry findings mean, how do you use them to make resin jewelry?
Glue
Use jewelry adhesive on the bail and the resin charm, then bring the two pieces together. (It is that easy.)
Pro: I love this method for resin novices as you don’t need any unique skills or equipment.
Con: It requires a large surface to get good contact between the bail and resin.
Drill
Some findings need a hole in the resin charm. To do that, you’re going to need a drill.
Pro: You have more options of where to place your findings.
Con: Drills can cost up to $100 for a good one.
I know you’ve got more questions about using jewelry findings, which is why I’ve got this handy video.
Got five minutes? Then you’ve got time to watch.
Have more resin questions besides how to use jewelry findings?
I want to help. I wrote the book, Resin Fundamentals, for beginners like you. So instead of learning about resin through trial and error (which is no fun), you can learn from my 15 years of resin artist experience. Buy the ebook for less than the cost of a resin kit, and you’ll get a download link in minutes.
Unpublished Blog Posts of Resin Obsession, LLC © 2022 Resin Obsession, LLC
I had a teacher show me how to work out the blemishes in my resin with sand paper then a high gloss shine she put on with the dremel and cant find what gloss she used. How do you take out the blemishes?
Jewel,
You can only use a dremel and polishing compound on hard curing resin like polyester or polyurethane. I like to use Fabulustre compound when doing this.
Hello, I have a large cross that i want to make a mold out of and it has a sold ring attached at the top. If I create a mold with the ring intact, will that look right? I am going to make a rosary with the resin cross. Or would I be better off to cut off the ring and attached a glue-on bail as mentioned in your tutorial? You did not say what type of glue you use to attach the bail to the cured resin. Thanks so much, Jane
Hi Jane, I would make a mold of the cross without the ring, the glue the bail on later. This is the glue I use to adhere bails to resin charms: https://shop.resinobsession.com/products/e-6000-epoxy-jewelry-adhesive-jewelry-finding-glue
How to Add Findings to Resin Jewellery
In the first example, you advise gluing an aanraku bail to the resin cabochon but do not say the best type of glue. I have a pair of handmade (not by me) hair slides where the metal fastener has come away from the front which is made of resin. I have tried a repair using epoxy resin but that doesn’t work so I would be interested in which glue you recommend.
Thank you for your help.
Hi Jane, I like to use E6000. We sell it in our store, but are currently out of stock. You can learn more about it here: https://shop.resinobsession.com/products/e-6000-epoxy-jewelry-adhesive-jewelry-finding-glue