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Did you find my tutorial on how to make simple resin clay jewelry intriguing? 2-part epoxy resin clay is really a great and easy way to make jewelry. It can be manipulated like other clays such as polymer clay but doesn't require any heat to harden it.  The best part is the adhesive property - no more worrying if the glue you used to stick crystals or whatever is going to work or not.

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There are a number of tutorials out there already but here are some worthy ones to help you get into the technique and jump start your creativity.

Beadaholique has a good basic video tutorial on how to use Crystal Clay.  It is a brand of epoxy resin clay which comes with crystals. The work time is about 60-90 minutes before it starts to set.  The project is for a ring but at the end the instructor also shows how spectacular pressing metal filigrees into a crystal clay filled compact lid and adding some crystals is.  You can also get channel set rings for resin clay projects.



Embellishments
Anything goes!  You can really add a lot of embellishments as they can all adhere to the resin clay - something polymer clay does not do.  Stephanie Gard Bus, a member of the Nunn Design Innovation Team,  MaxandLucie on Etsy and Olla Podrida on Etsy, designed this cocktail ring tutorial using Crystal Clay. I like how she used a neutral grey color to set the crystals. The center motif is a bead cap!

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Does it have to be crystals?  Nope.  Check out Deborah Mauser, also a member of the Nunn Design Team who created a faux chain maille ring tutorial showcased on Jewelry Making Daily.

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Using a mold
Rochelle Nation yet another member of the Nunn Design Team showed in this tutorial how to use an angel wing silicone mold to make charms.  She also used Crystal Clay.  The metallic color is obtained by brushing on silver Gilder's Paste.

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Adding Glitter
I really like the rustic style designs by Karla Schaffer demonstrated for Auntie's Beads. She used glitter to add another element to the pieces in her video tutorial.  If you are already into polymer clay, consider using mica. Karla also shows that you have to be prepared for additional projects as there usually is leftover clay.

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Texturing
You can easily texture resin clay with either a texture plate or any suitable stamp.  This tutorial is also on Jewelry Making Daily and is by Becky Nunn of Nunn Designs (linked above). Again a clever unorthodox use of a bead cap!

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Claire Humpherson of Beads Direct UK wrote a wonderful resin clay and crystal ring tutorial on Mortira's blog, Inspirational Beading. Instead of using bezel and ring findings, she created her ring entirely from resin clay!

[Image] All these awesome tutorials show how versatile this product is.  The possibilities are limitless!

Time to get hooked on yet another technique?

Before You Go:
How to Use Gilder's Paste to Color Metal Jewelry Book Review - Making Mixed Media Art Charms and Jewelry How to Make Swarovski Crystal Cocktail Rings
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