I've long admired the polymer clay jewelry dish tutorials (see links below).  But you can also make lovely resin jewelry dishes too!  With resin, there is no need for multiple coats of varnish.

These dishes or small bowls are handy in the bathroom as they keep rings safe while washing hands.  Or they could be used as temporary storage on the dressing table. 

There are specific silicone molds for making resin dishes.  While useful, you can't really use them for anything else but dishes.  So the idea of this tutorial came when I watched Little Windows' tutorial for their multi-shape and multi-sized bangles.  Fran demonstrates how she makes her trinket dishes at about the 20:50 min mark. 


She used photo paper as the base. What I wanted to do with this experiment is to use flat resin coaster molds with the Little Windows's bracelet molds. This way I could still use the bracelet molds for jewelry and the coaster molds on their own (see my tutorials in the links below). 

The "saucer" part of the dish will protrude, how much will depend on the coaster size you use.  As you can see the square pair I used has a bigger "saucer".  Which you choose will depend on your personal taste. 



You can also make the non-round Little Windows' bangles round by following Fran's tutorial here.
A round with a square base will be a different look. 


I wanted to make faux gold leaf flaked resin jewelry dishes.  But this tutorial will also work if you want to design with other inclusions like real pressed flowers (see my resin tutorials linked below) and other materials. 

Note some materials will sink. The faux gold flakes do not because of the surface to resin ratio.  However glitter will.  So I prepared a strip of heavy duty packing tape (sticky side up) and temporary affixed that to a glass tile with masking tape. I place Little Windows' brochure showing the length I needed for the bracelet mold I was using as a guide.

I then placed the gold leaf flakes where I wanted them and added the glitter in the gaps. 



I placed another length of the packing tape (sticky side down) to encase the strip and the inclusions. I marked the edges of the strip with black marker pen.


Then an easy trimming of the prepared strip :


Followed by a quick removal of the black marks with some isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol or rubbing alcohol) which you can purchase from your local drugstore.  


Tape the ends of the strip together and check for fit in the mold. 


I used Little Windows' Brilliant Resin.  This is an excellent jewelry grade resin - a low bubble producer, has a longer shelf life than many brands I have tried.  It is non - toxic but people with sensitivities might wish to wear gloves. Readers get a special 15% discount - use the code BG1516. 


Make up the resin mix as directed. A great tip is to microwave Part A for 6-7 seconds before mixing. This really cuts down on bubble formation. 

I poured enough resin into the mold to almost fill it.  If you are working with heftier inclusions, add less resin to start as the level will rise when objects displace it. 


I then placed the prepared strip into the resin, making sure there is resin on both sides of the strip. Top up with resin.  I covered the project and let the resin cure overnight.

The base or saucer part is easy. I just filled it with some clear resin before adding the gold leaf flakes and glitter.  I pushed own on the flakes to make sure they were submerged. A little positioning and odd bubble removal was also necessary.  This was also covered and left overnight to cure.


I used colored resin for the round jewelry dish project.  I added several drops of white resin pigment to my resin mix.


This time I added the flakes to the resin mix before pouring it into the round coaster.  Much easier than with the square one where I had to spend time submerging the flakes. 


I was generous with the gold flakes for both the bottom and the bangle.  The flakes did not sink.  I added the resin mix to the brim, covered the project up and left overnight to cure.

Note, the bangles I made are great on their own so I am tempted to make just bangles next time!


The next day, I discovered I did not check carefully enough and a couple of the flakes stuck out.  This forced me to add another layer. I just went with clear but in hindsight, I should have mixed another white batch with flakes. 


The edges of the cured pieces were then sanded underwater using 400 grit wet-dry sandpaper. 


After drying the resin pieces, it was time to "glue" them together.  I followed Fran's instructions and added a thin layer of resin on the edge of the bangle - we do this for bangles to even out the surface anyway. I left this layer for an hr or so to thicken up before attaching the bangle to the bottom coaster piece. 


This is how they turned out. Very different looks in terms of the shape - round vs square - clear vs opaque. 


I had a clear layer at the bottom of the round jewelry dish.  I could have added gold foiling on this edge to get rid of the two tone look but opted not to. 


However, I did add a metallic finish to the top of the square jewelry dish using Krylon's gold leafing pen. This metallic finish is more durable than gold acrylic paint.

There you have it!  Not a difficult project at all. But one which takes some care and patience. 



Photography

I used  my iPhone 8+ for final product photography in natural light. I used  the Orangemonkie studio which comes equipped with LED lights - for artificial light photography in my windowless basement studio. The Foldio2 Plus is excellent . I use the Foldio3 because I need the room for tutorial photography. My online class Easy Guide to Smartphone Jewelry Photography is now available. Read more about it here.  

Before You Go:

Disclosure 

This blog may contain affiliate links. I do receive a small fee for any products purchased through affiliate links. This goes towards the support of this blog and to provide resource information to readers. The opinions expressed are solely my own. They would be the same whether or not I receive any compensation. 
 ______________________________ 
Original Post by THE BEADING GEM