Filigree is a beautiful addition to jewelry design work. I have never thought of using it with resin because of the many open areas...until now.
filigree:
delicate ornamental work of fine silver,
gold, or other metal wires, especially lacy jewelers' work
For this post I am using two of ETI's products:
It occurred to me this summer that Jewelry Clay could create the frame I needed to contain poured resin. I gathered two pieces of filigree brass and as you can see I cut one open.
This is fussy work and I was careful not to cut myself in the process.
I made this frame with Jewelry Clay. I could have made it thinner, but for a first experiment I always work with a little extra.
Here is how I embedded my cut piece of filigree into the clay. By pressing everything into place like this, I have no sharp cut edges!
I brushed Pearl-Ex over my entire piece. The Pearl-Ex will only adhere to the clay, so the excess powder will be easy to brush away after my clay has cured. I allowed this to cure in place for a full 24 hours.
On day two of my project I cut a piece of very sticky double-sided tape and adhered it to the back of my filigree.
You can see how this tape will keep resin in my new frame. This technique has been described in other posts as "pouring into an open back."
I dropped just enough Jewelry Resin into my frame to completely cover the bottom...about 1/8 of an inch high. This I allowed to cure for 24 hours.
On day three of my project I pulled away the tape from the back. Now my filigree has a clear bottom.
I can now work in this new "bezel" as usual. The glass-like bottom is very clear and I simply added some tiny Fairyopolis rub-ons to its surface. I chose some flowers and two fairies for this project. I "rubbed" them into place.
I then poured in a little more Jewelry Resin and after waiting a final 24 hours, I had this fabulous and unique new pendant.
I glued a bail to the back and made it easy to wear!
Labels: Crafter's Companion, EnviroTex Jewelry Clay, Envirotex Jewelry Resin, Filigree, Jewelry, Open Back Bezel, Pearl Ex, Tips
