Japanese paper necklaces
ByAutumn is over and I’ve had to move on from my beloved leaf jewellery. Looking around for inspiration I gravitated towards the washi that I collect for origami and for the backdrops of my photos. The actual paper textures were so beautiful that I wanted to showcase them in a piece of simple, fun, festive jewellery.
I really love the 3D layered effect that I get with my compositions, so I pour my resin in stages. First I use contact paper to seal the back of my ring – making it into a bezel. I put my head pin in first – to create a hanging loop and also to seal the hole so resin doesn’t leak out of it. Then I do my first stage pour.
First I pour a thin layer into the bottom of the bezel. I use a popsicle stick to push it to the edges of the bezel and form an even seal.
After I’ve put my first layer down I start creating my composition. The first piece of paper that I put down faces out to the back – this is the backing that will be visible when I peel off the contact paper later. If the contact paper leaves any residue behind I use ‘goo gone’ to clean it off – it doesn’t affect the resin, but you’ve got to make sure it’s completely cured before trying this.
Alternating pours of resin and layers of paper allows me to get that 3d look. When I’m done I pour a final layer and put a cover over it to cure. If I don’t cover it then even a tiny dust mote landing on the surface can ruin a piece!
And Voila!
I hope folks enjoy these cute little stocking stuffers :)
Hi Shireen! I’m sure every one will love these! I adore your necklaces! Really beautiful!
Wishes from Teje
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These are so pretty, I want to try these myself!
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Wow, it’s beautiful!
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Where do you get those rings???
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I don’t really understand how you did this :/ But they are lovely! Do you sell them??
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Hi Thebluebrick,
I take your point, Washi practically implies ‘Japanese paper’ and refers to paper which is handmade by means of tradititonal procedures. Washi can be designed from gampi bark, mitsumata branches (implemented in Japanese banknotes), mulberry bark, bamboo, rice, hemp or wheat. The use of these fibres tends to make washi very much better than Western paper so can be manufactured into clothes, toys etcetera as well as staying fabulous for origami and calligraphy.
All the Best
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I love it. Do you put mod poge on paper? Do you let cure between coats of resin? thanks
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Thanks! I don’t always use mod podge first – but when I think there is a chance that the paper will get translucent that’s when I’ll use it. Similarly with coats of resin there is no standard answer – sometimes it’s at thin piece and you can get a nice finish all in one shot, sometime it’s layered or thicker pieces and then I’ll do a 2 stage pour. Hope that helps :)
S.
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Que tipo de papel usa para que la resina no se pegue? Gracias
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What brand of resin do you use?
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Hi Julie – sorry for taking so long to reply! The brand is not as important as the type – I use ‘jewellery-grade’ resin to make sure I’m getting something that will not dull or yellow over time. For brands I recommend either Ice Resin or Envirotex Jewellery Resin. Hope that helps!
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Yes, that is helpful. Thanks for your suggestions!
You can take a look at what I have done so far on my etsy page : )
http://www.etsy.com/shop/DustyHandsOriginals?ref=si_shop
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