Which Resin to Use for Jewellery Making

Best Resin for Jewellery (Complete Beginner Guide)

Resin beginners are often confused about which resin to use. 

When you're faced with so many different TYPES of RESIN to choose from, it can be confusing to work out which resin is right for your project. 

Over the past 19 years, I've worked with more than 40 different types/brands of resin. That's a lot of resin and a lot of casting and it's given me a good understanding of what each one is capable of.

So, let's take a look at the pros and cons of each resin type so you know how to CHOOSE the right resin for your project. As a side note, there are so MANY different brands of resin out there and they are all formulated differently. It's not possible to cover them all, but this guide will help you understand what you can do with each type of resin.

We'll cover the most readily available types of resin:

• 2-part resins - this group includes Epoxy, Polyurethane (aka urethane), Polyester, Epoxy Clays and acrylic-resins like Jesmonite.
• 1-part resin - includes the very easy-to-use UV Resins

And each one excels in different applications so it's important to know what they can do so you choose the right one for your project.

The comparison table below shows the most common resin types and how they differ.

Resin Type	Best For	Cure Time	Equipment Needed	Difficulty	Jewellery Use
Epoxy Resin	casting in moulds, jewellery	12-48 hours	none	⭐⭐beginner friendly	most common
UV Resin	bezels, thin layers	2-10 minutes	UV lamp (nail lamp)	🔰easy - moderate	popular
Polyester Resin	jewellery, large castings	several hours	catalyst	⛔advanced	rarely used
Polyurethane Resin	jewellery, fast casting	20-30 minutes	none	🟡moderate	niche
Epoxy Clay	bezels	40 minutes	none	🔰easy	pavé-style jewellery
Acrylic Resin	eco-friendly projects	40-50 minutes	none	✅beginner friendly, safe for kids	weighty, growing trend

If you’re new to resin jewellery, epoxy resin is usually the best choice because it gives you more time to mix colours, remove bubbles before curing and does so without the need for special equipment.

Let's dig a little deeper into each resin type 

Versatile Epoxy Resin

Epoxie resins are very easy to use and they are usually mixed in a 1:1 or a 2:1 ratio. The benefits of epoxies are the ease of measuring, mixing and colouring. 

They generally have a longer working time (sometimes called gel time or pot life) so you don't need to rush when adding colourants or embedding items in the resin. 

Curing is often slower too and can take 12-24 hours, with full hardness achieved after 72 hours. 

These resins are usually very low in odour, with some having no odour at all, and they are very easy to work with. 

The drawback is that finished epoxy pieces may turn yellow as they age. If you've added colourant to the resin, this won't be noticeable.

Epoxy resin can be used to make small jewellery, such as earrings and pendants, or larger pieces, such as bangle bracelets and statement rings.

Epoxy resins are versatile: they're available as either casting resins (meaning that you can pour them into a mould to create objects such as jewellery and coasters) or coating resins which are used to flood coat surfaces such as bar and tabletops. 

Here are some readily available epoxy resins: Let's Resin, Amazing Clear Cast and Puduo.

Quick Curing Polyurethane Resin

When you need something to cure fast, Polyurethane is the resin to reach for. 

Polyurethane resins are sometimes measured by volume (1:1) and sometimes by weight. The polyurethanes we use in jewellery making are low-viscosity casting resins that are poured into silicone moulds. 

Many gel (or set) in under 5 minutes and you can demould them in about 20 minutes... great if you're an impatient crafter but you don't have much time to work with the resin, which is not always ideal for beginners.

On the downside, they are moisture-sensitive, so it's best to avoid working in humid conditions which can cause bubbles. 

The transparent versions of polyurethanes are usually more of an amber colour than clear, but you can colour them with resin dyes to achieve a translucent (see-through) effect or use resin pigments for an opaque finish that will hide any bubbles.

The most commonly available formulations cure white, but you can also buy polyurethanes in some basic opaque colours such as black and flesh. Let's Resin Polyurethane resin cures white in as little as 10 minutes, making it a great resin if you can't stand waiting 24 hours for epoxy to cure. 

Because of their quick gel time, they are not well-suited to embedding, but you can still add colours and glitters before mixing the two parts together. Learn how to make fun bangles like this Licorice Allsorts bangle stack in one of my beginner resin classes.

Water Clear Polyester Resin

Polyester resin is most commonly used in the boat-building industry as a laminating resin, but it's also formulated as a casting resin, making it suitable for jewellery making. 

For epoxy and polyurethane resins, the resin-to-hardener ratio is 1:1. But polyester resin uses an MEKP catalyst, which is added in a number of drops per millilitre/ounce of resin. 

Working out how much catalyst to add can be tricky. You have to take into account the volume you are mixing, the thickness of the casting, the humidity, and the room temperature. Too much catalyst and it could flash (ignite) or crack as the resin cures. 

Polyester resin also has a very nasty odour, so it must be worked with outside and wearing a respirator fitted with cartridges that filter out organic vapours.

But polyester resin's attraction is its clarity - it is CRYSTAL CLEAR, as you can see in the souvenir above that I picked up in Singapore.

Castin'Craft Clear Polyester Casting Resin is a popular choice for resin experts choosing this type of resin.

UV Resin - the User-Friendly Resin

These are the most user-friendly resins of all if you don't like measuring or no mixing, because it's a one-part resin. So there's no wastage and no cleanup. You just pour the resin and then place it under a UV light source to cure for a few minutes.

But there are limitations to what you can do with UV resin. 

• Silicone moulds must be clear and very shallow, otherwise the UV light can't penetrate the sides of coloured or deeper moulds to cure the resin. 
• Jewellery bezels need to be filled in multiple thin layers, allowing curing time between each layer.
• If adding colour, it needs to be transparent. If the colour is too opaque, the UV light can't cure it.

Most UV resins have a strong odour which a lot of people find unpleasant, but they're easy to use. If you want an odourless UV resin, search out Lisa Pavelka's Magic-Glos, which has none. A bonus with Magic-Glos is that it's non-toxic so it can be used by children (with adult supervision, of course!).

UV resins are available in different formulations: there are hard types and soft types. For jewellery-making, a hard type like this one is best. 

To cure UV resin, you need a UV light source such as a UV nail lamp. I like this one because you can leave it on and not have to keep restarting it every 90 seconds like many other nail lamps. 

Want the project instructions to make these fun fridge magents? You'll find them here.

Epoxy Clay - for Creating Dimensional Jewellery

As the name suggests, this resin is a clay, so once the two parts are mixed together, instead of pouring it into a mould, you push it into the mould or bezel. 

It can be left uncoloured or coloured with dyes and mica powders. It is also paintable with acrylic paints once it's cured.

It's an incredibly strong adhesive, so it's perfect for creating pavé jewellery where the chaton crystals will be permanently embedded once cured. They won't pop out because there is no shrinkage like there is with polymer clay. It can also be sculpted, sanded and painted once it's cured, making it suitable for home decor items too. You'll find two gorgeous Pavé-style jewellery tutorials here and here.

The best-known brand is Apoxie Sculpt.

Now that you know a little more about the types of resin, use the flow chart below to work out which resin(s) will be suitable for your project.

PIN THIS!

MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU:

• Get access to the How to Choose the Right Resin video to learn even more about choosing resin. 

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