Resin Pendant Ideas For The Advanced Jewelry Maker

easy resin pendant ideas

Looking for ideas to make a unique resin pendant? Try these mixed media methods to give your next resin pendants a special flair. But…

Before you start…

This is an advanced project. If you’re a resin beginner, start with one of these resin crafts instead.

Resin supplies:

Quick-curing resin
Rubber texture mat for clay
Pearl Ex powders in magenta, sapphire blue, bright yellow, emerald
Mixing cups
Stirring sticks
Nitrile gloves
1 inch round silver pendant bezels
Marker, circle template, scissors, paintbrush
Acrylic metallic paint
Resin Obsession crystal doming resin
Transparencies printed with clip art or quotes
Assorted glitters and micas

applying Pearl Ex powders to a rubber stamp surface

Step 1: Add colored powder

Use a paintbrush to apply Pearl Ex powders to the surface of the rubber texture stamp.

Step 2: Mix resin

Measure 10 ml each of part A and part B of the amazing casting resin.  Mix together well, which takes about one minute.

applying resin to a stamp surface

Pour the mixed resin over the rubber pad. Then, spread it over the surface with your stirring stick.  You want a thin layer of resin so you have more room in your bezel to add more layers of clear resin later.

Peeling resin away from a rubber pad

Step 3: Peel away from the mat

When the resin is cured enough to be solid but still flexible (approximately 10 to 15 minutes after mixing), peel it away from the rubber mat. Allow it to cure for several more hours or overnight before going to the next step.

tracing circle onto resin using template
💡 Pro tip:  It’s easier to cut the resin while it’s soft, but it’s easier to smoosh it too. I like to let it fully cure before cutting, so I don’t mess up the design.

Step 4: Cut a pendant shape

Find several areas of the cured resin to give you ideas for your pendant base. Using the circle template and the marker, mark a circle so you know where to cut.

This is where you’ll spend the most time thinking about my resin pendant ideas. There are so many areas to choose from!

cutting a circle of cured resin

Use heavy-duty scissors to cut the circles away from the resin sheet.

💡 Pro tip: Cut your circle a little larger rather than a little smaller. You can use a coarse nail file or sandpaper to sand edges as necessary.

checking fit of resin in pendant

Make sure your circles fit snugly and trim or sand as necessary.

You can highlight details with acrylic paint too.

painting a silver bezel

[OPTIONAL] Step 5: Paint the pendant base

Because it’s hard to get an exact fit inside the bezels, you can paint the bezel base. This will make any blank spaces around the edges or holes in the resin sheet harder to notice if the background is another color than silver.

Make sure it’s dry before moving to the next step.

applying resin to a bezel

Step 6: Add clear resin

Mix a small batch of the Resin Obsession crystal doming resin.  Dab a small amount in the base of the resin bezel and push around to coat. The resin serves as glue in this step.

💡 Pro tip: Put less resin in the bezel than you think you need. It doesn’t take much and will keep you from cleaning up spills later.

Placing the pendants on a drying mat is important because the open spaces allow room for the bail. It lets the pendants lie flat.

adding textured base

Step 7: Add the pendant base

Add the textured circle to the pendant base. You can also add a bit of glitter onto the base for extra sparkle.

💡 Pro tip: Dipping the circle in epoxy first will break the surface tension and make resin bubbles less of a problem.

Let cure for 24 hours before moving on to the next step.

sizing a transparency for the bezel

Step 8: Add transparency designs

Cut transparencies with printed art or sayings into pieces to fit the bezel for the second layer. These don’t need sealing before adding them to the resin pendant.

adding words to resin pendants

Step 9: Add more clear resin

Mix another batch of Resin Obsession crystal doming resin. Dip the transparency in the cup of resin and apply it to the pendant. Drip in more resin to fill the bezel cup and create a nice dome.

That’s one of the cool things about using the crystal doming resin.  Look at that dome!

ideas for applying glitter to resin pendant

You can apply more glitter in this layer as well. Use your stir stick or a toothpick to push the pieces around as necessary.

Allow curing for 24 hours.

resin mixed media pendants

Once dry, hang your pendants on necklaces.

This one is my favorite. Sometimes you have to remind yourself to breathe.

Which of these resin pendant ideas is your favorite?

Get the video version of the tutorial here:


Looking for more advanced epoxy projects?

Then you’ll want your copy of Ten Creative Epoxy Crafts.  It’s the ebook with 10 projects to make when you’re stuck for resin ideas. Buy the PDF book now and get a download link in minutes.

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15 thoughts on “Resin Pendant Ideas For The Advanced Jewelry Maker

  1. This is awesome info, but I have a question. I have been doing bezel necklaces almost like this, but using finger nail polish. I’m having weird problems with it. If I do everything in the house I only get surface bubbles, but if I do it outside I not only get surface bubbles, but it also looks like the design is lifting. I also get weird cracking in them. I would like to know what I’m doing wrong, if possible.

    1. I’m afraid I don’t have any experience making pendants like these with fingernail polish.

  2. So you cannot see the edges of the transparency film at all? With transparency film, would you recommend putting in directly in your resin or the transfer like you also show?
    Thanks!

  3. Love your work. New to it all. Question. I got a over zealous sanding the metal. Is there a way to save the metal. Maybe a metal touch up paint. Thanks for your help.

  4. Love your work. Is there a special type of resin to use with glass? Does resin work well with glass? Thank you! Shelley

  5. In response to the question about using Nail Polish, I have tried it. I find it an ok, yet cheaper feel alternative. Like you do with resin, when there’s bubbles, apply geat. A nice and hot gas lighter or similar is great. I quickly pass the flame over the nail polish/resin without actually touching it and the heat causes all the air to rise and disappear.

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