How to Make Faux Diamonds

Add dye to the casting resin to make other colored jewels.

Making jewelery at home is much cheaper than buying from a shop, but adding jewels makes the process more expensive. Fake glass beads can be purchased, but are limited in design, while real jewels are just too expensive. Making faux diamonds at home is not a quick task, but you can replicate any shape, as long as it there is an available mold.

Things You'll Need

• Molding items
• Plastic box
• Rubber gloves
• Liquid silicon
• Casting resin
• Plastic sheet
• Microwave
• Glue gun
• Scissors
• Craft knife

Instructions

1. Arrange the items to be molded in the bottom of a plastic box. These can be jewels, glass beads or other costume jewellery items. Make sure the box is not to large to cut down on the amount of silicon required. Attach the items to the bottom of the box using a small amount of glue from a glue gun.

2. Mix together the liquid silicon and pour into the box so it covers the molding items and leave for at least two hours. Check the silicon manufacturer’s guidelines for specific mixing and setting times. Liquid silicon can be purchased from craft shops.

3. Pull out the solidified silicon from the plastic box by hand and remove the molding items from the bottom of the box.

4. Warm up the silicon mold in a microwave until it is warm to the touch, but not so hot that it cannot be handled. Around 30 seconds on full power should be adequate.

5. Combine the liquid casting resin and the catalyst. Add more catalyst than would be normally used, around 15 drops of catalyst per ounce of casting resin. The casting resin can be bought from any good craft store, and it comes with the catalyst in a pipette or dropper.

6. Pour the casting resin into the mold so the liquid is flush with the top of the silicon.
   Lay a sheet of thin plastic, such as an overhead projector transparency, over the resin when it rises in the mold. Lay it gradually over the top, pressing down to remove any air bubble. The air bubbles will not have a negative effect on the cast, but will be trapped in the resin when solid. The plastic sheet can be bought in any craft store.

7. Leave to cure for a few hours in a warm room. The actual time frame depends on the size of molds and the ambient temperature, but should not need to be left overnight. Consult the resin manufacturer’s guidelines, and tap the fake jewels with a fingertip until they are rock solid and are no longer tacky on the surface.

8. Tap the jewels out of the mold like ice cubes out of a tray and trim up the edges where the resin overflowed. The edges can be trimmed using scissors or a craft knife.

Tips & Warnings

• Never try to remove the jewels from the mold to early as the surface will still be tacky and easily pick up dirt or fingerprints.

• Wear rubber or latex gloves when handling the silicon or casting resin.

References

• You Tube: How to Make Jewels, Gems, Crystals and Pendents