Crystal Dragon Jewelry 3D Cuff

Finally, I am making progress, with my big 3-D Crystal Dragon cuff! I decided to order a quart of a new, super expensive, super clear rubber urethane. I am still running tests, but, so far, so good. What a steep learning curve there is with this new resin. The temperature has to be just right, the pressure has to be 60psi minimum, the wind has to be out of the east, etc. The cure time is 16 hours under pressure, then another 6-8 hours at room temp, then into the heat box for another 16 hours at 160 degree F. That is a long time to wait, until you can de-mold, and see if your casting was successful.

I am loving how this new resin looks. Here is a test sample shown against the brass cuff. The brass backing will allow the dragon cuff to be infinitely adjustable.

The clarity of this new resin is amazing. Except for the brass end strips, my prototype is almost finished. For two years, I have been working out the details of this design. I am so excited to see my crystal dragon cuff design come together! NOTE: Compared to optical glass, which has an index of refraction of 1.50, this new resin has an refractive index of 1.488. That is pretty close to crystal clear.

Mermaid Jewelry - Mermaid in a Shell Pendant

Here is the latest mermaid jewelry design from my Iridescent Sea Series. I sculpted this mermaid in clay, and then used this clay master to create the mold, and finally I hand cast this mermaid pendant in tough and durable, urethane resin. Cast in white pearl resin, there is an iridescent shimmering Aurora Borealis layer, that gives the Mother of Pearl effect. Titled "Sleeping in a Shell", this mermaid pendant is 2 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" tall. You can read about sculpting this mermaid in my previous post.

You can see all my mermaid jewelry for sale here: Mermaid Jewelry by In Art studio on Etsy

Mermaid Sculpture - WIP - for Mermaid Pendant

My new mermaid sculpture is finally looking close to finished. All the finishing touches are done. I decided to add a big 12mm Swarvoski pearl and sculpted her right arm. I like how the big pearl makes her look even smaller. I have more smoothing to do, and fixing small details, then she should be ready for a final bake. I am anticipating the next mermaid sculpture. An even smaller mermaid for a ring.

This tiny mermaid sculpture has no arms yet, and still needs hair. The shell is 2-1/2 inches tall. That is my baby finger on the right. My sculpting tools were too big, so I ended up using sewing needles and pins.

 

 

Compare her head to the size of my thumb! I need stronger magnifying glasses...... It's like looking at a splinter in your finger all day.

I little more smoothing to do, and then she's going into the oven for her 1st bake. After that, I will not have to be so paranoid about accidentally bumping into her face. I have been thinking about adding a big Swarvoski pearl, nestled into the bend in her tail, and draping her right arm over the pearl. What do you think? Pearl? No pearl?

She finally has some hair and her left arm. She looks sooo much better not bald.

I keep taking macro photos, so I can look at her close up on the computer screen. I did get some higher power reading glasses last weekend. Helps a lot. Makes me dizzy when I try to walk around in them.