These resin rings are SO FUN to make! Add a pop of colour to any outfit with these affordable and funky homemade rings.
Choose your favourite colours or add-ins and create your own rings with resin. They’re really easy to make for resin beginners, and they’re a great way to use up leftover resin from larger projects. With just a few supplies and some basic techniques you’ll have beautiful DIY jewelry of your own!
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a small commission which helps us run this website.
How to Make Resin Rings
Materials:
- Casting resin
- Glitter (colour of choice)
- Alcohol ink (colour of choice)
- Polymer clay shapes
- UV resin
Equipment:
- Silicone measuring cup (or small, disposable plastic cups)
- Popsicle sticks (or silicone stir sticks)
- Nail file (or sandpaper/emery board)
Watch the step-by-step video tutorial:
Instructions:
Step 1: Find what you need
- Gather your supplies and materials.
Step 2: Mix the epoxy resin
- Before working with resin, protect your working surface with a drop cloth and/or a silicone mat. Always wear protective nitrile gloves and eye protection.Work in a well-ventilated space and wear a respirator if your resin requires it. Read your resin’s label for safety requirements.
- Mix the amount of resin needed for the amount of rings you’d like to make. We mixed 20 ml of resin total, which made 10 rings.Begin by adding 1 part of Part A to a small plastic cup or a silicone measuring cup. The amount of Part A should be half the total amount needed. (In our case, 10 ml.)Follow your specific resin’s instructions for ratios, drying times, and curing times.
- Add an equal amount of the hardener (10 ml of Part B) to a separate cup. You can also pour directly into the first cup, but with smaller amounts of resin we find it easier to measure separately.
- Pour Part B into the Part A cup, combining the two parts.
- Mix the resin and hardener together with a popsicle stick or a reusable resin stir stick.Stir slowly, scraping down the sides and bottom of the measuring cup. Continue mixing for 3 to 5 minutes or until the mixture is clear (streak free).
Step 3: Mix a glitter and coloured ring
- Pour the resin into separate plastic mixing cups, 1 for each colour or type of ring you’d like to make. We divided the resin into 3 cups.
- To make a glitter ring, add about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of glitter total into one cup. We recommend using several different shades and sizes of glitter to give your piece dimension.
- Stir gently, until the glitter is completely mixed in.
- To make a slightly transparent coloured ring, add 2 drops of alcohol ink into one of the other cups.You can add more drops of colour if you’d like the ring to be opaque.
- Stir the alcohol ink into the resin until it’s streak free.
Step 4: Add the resin into the mold
- Use a popsicle stick or eye dropper to drip the glitter resin into the ring mold.Allow the resin to fall to the bottom of the mold before adding more. This will help prevent air bubbles.
- Pop any large air bubbles with the popsicle stick or a toothpick.
- Repeat with the alcohol ink coloured resin.
Step 5: Make a ring with inclusions
- To make a ring with larger decorations in it, begin by filling the mold about half full with clear resin.
- Use tweezers to pick up a polymer clay shape and place it into the mold, approximately where you want it to sit.Repeat, adding shapes around the ring mold.
- Once the shapes are in place, fill the mold to the top with clear resin.You may need to shift the shapes back into place at this point and use a toothpick to remove any large air bubbles.
- Pop any surface air bubbles by spritzing with rubbing alcohol or running a heat gun over the surface.
Step 6: Allow to harden, demold, and sand
- Let the rings sit, untouched, for the recommended dry (or demold) time.Our resin’s dry time is 12 to 18 hours, but we recommend waiting 24 hours so that the rings are hard enough to handle without warping.
- Once your resin rings are dry you can demold them. Push from the bottom of the mold and stretch it a bit as you pull the jewelry out.If the rings are still flexible, allow more time to cure before proceeding to the next step.
- Use a nail file or sandpaper to file down any bumps or rough edges from the top of the rings. Continue until the side is even and flush with the rest of the ring.We recommend wearing a respirator or dust mask during this stage.
- Use your fingers, a paintbrush, or a damp cloth to wipe away the resin dust.
Step 7: Finish off your resin ring
- To fill in any ridges and to smooth out the ring, pour a small amount of UV resin onto this side of the ring.
- Spread the UV resin with a toothpick, evening it out.
- Place the ring under a UV light to cure for about 5 minutes.Read the instructions for the exact cure time of your specific resin.
- Your resin rings are complete!
Helpful Tips:
- Protect your working surface and do resin pours in a well ventilated room. Wear basic PPE whenever working with resin: nitrile gloves, long sleeves, and eye protection. You should also wear a respirator with most resins.
- Make sure your table is even when working with resin! Otherwise your ring will be thicker on one side.
How long do resin rings last?
Resin rings are quite sturdy and should last for years to come, if properly cared for. Avoid harsh chemicals when wearing your resin ring, and clean it only when needed with very gentle soap and a small amount of water.
The quality of your resin will also determine how long and how well the ring holds up. Choose a durable epoxy that’s UV resistant for the best results.
When not wearing your ring, store it out of direct sunlight, ideally in a closed jewelry box.
Do resin rings scratch easily?
Resin can be prone to scratching, but high quality resin is less likely to get scratched easily. Eventually your ring might get scratched, though, just due to basic wear and tear.
If your ring gets scuffed you can sand it down and then buff it, or you can add another coat of resin to the outside.
What can I add in to personalize my resin ring?
We made our rings with glitter, alcohol ink, and polymer clay shapes. You can also colour your resin with mica powder or special resin dyes.
You can change up the look of your ring with lots of fun add-ins, like beads pressed flowers, or rhinestones. Gold leaf is another great way to add character to your resin pieces (check out our resin jewelry for an example!).
Can you shower with a resin ring?
We don’t recommend showering or swimming with your resin rings. Resin is water resistant, but prolonged exposure to water can cause the resin to become cloudy and/or degrade.
Heat also isn’t great for resin, since it can soften the piece and cause it to warp. Therefore we recommend removing your resin ring before showering to maximize its lifespan!
These resin rings are so pretty and easy to personalize! It’s a popular craft for DIY enthusiasts and jewelry makers, and they also make a great handmade gift.
Here’s even more resin craft ideas:
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
Where to buy:
You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Amazon Canada
Leave a Reply