Tutorial: Easy Custom Coloured Resin Gems

Being able to make your own gems for projects can be a good way to save money plus get the exact look you are aiming for. You can buy resin casting sets in custom colours, however, colours are limited (red, green, blue and that's all folks) and resin dye can be expensive or hard to come by. You can also cast clear gems and paint the backs, but the colour is not visible from sharp angles. After some testing I found this method works great.

​Casting resin with acrylic INK!
​The colour options are limitless since you can mix your own shades and you can control the opacity of the gems. It's also cheap since a bottle of ink costs about $6(CAD). In addition, the ink can be used for many other purposes such as dyeing wigs, whereas resin dye has one specific purpose.

I've made a video tutorial below but you can also find all the steps and materials listed below.

Materials

• Clear Resin - I use Gedeo because of the easy mixing directions
• A mold - I recommend silicone molds
• Acrylic ink- pick a shade or mix a colour - I use FW brand
• Plastic Cup
• Stirring stick / Popsicle stick
• Gloves - to keep your hands clean
• Optional: Mold Release Spray

Instructions

1. Determine how much resin/hardener you need for your project by placing water into your mold then pouring it into a measuring cup. Measuring cups are usually included in resin kits. Be sure to wipe away leftover water from the mold and cup before moving forward.
2. Measure the amount of resin and hardener you need while keeping in mind the mixing instructions, then pour contents into the plastic cup
3. Stir FW ink before placing drops into plastic cup. Add 1-3 drops per 10ml. (See below for results)
4. Mix contents for 1-2 minutes with stirring stick then pour into mold
5. Leave mixture to cure for 24 hours and voilà!

Results

At 1 drop per 10ml of mixture the gems are relatively clear. At 2 drops per 10ml, the gems were more opaque or milky in appearance. The thicker the gem the more opaque it was.
For the glowing gem look, place a metallic backing to the gem. In the 2nd and 4th photos, as well as the completed armour below, I use metallic wrapping paper. Embossing foil and silver foil will also work. The effect is very nice and noticeable at 1 drop per 10ml and visible but not as vibrant at 2 drops.

1 drop per 10ml gems installed in worbla armour with blue metallic paper

Tips

• Silicone molds tend to make glossier casts, while plastic molds have a more satin finish
• Use mold release to prevent the resin from sticking to the mold, especially for plastic molds
• FW Ink comes in regular shades, "pearlescent" (sparkle/glitter), and metallic
• Use clear adhesives to attach the gems to your projects such as super glue or hot glue
• Alternate use for acrylic ink: dyeing wigs, calligraphy, and airbrushing.

Here are the gems in action. Happy crafting!

Sivir cosplay - Photo by Erik Paredes