Faux Jade Box

By Amanda Marks

I was at our local library and found a book called "The Art of Resin Jewelry" by Sherri Haab it has amazing ideas for creating faux jewelry.  I have always had a fondness for real jade and decided I need to try this technique.

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1.  Materials

• Amazing Clear Cast Resin
• Alumilite Yellow Dye
• Alumilite Blue Dye
• Amumilite White Dye
• 3 Measuring Cups
• Stir Sticks and Toothpicks
• Mold
• Palette
• Gloves (a must when working with Clear Cast Resin)
• Burnt Umber Acrylic Paint/Brush

2.  Start by mixing equal part of A & B together in a measuring cup (to equal 1/2oz.)

3.  Pour half the mixture into another cup.  Taking one of the cups pour half into another cup.  You will have one cup with 1/4oz and 2 cups with 1/8oz of resin.

4.  The cup with the 1/4oz (the most resin) add green transparent dye.  Mix throughly.  

5.  In one of the 1/8oz cups mix only white dye.  Mix throughly.  On a palette mix a green dye and white dye together to create a milky green.  Add a drop or two to the remaining uncolored resin.

6.  Pour milky resin and white resin into the transparent resin.  Fold over a couple of times - you do not want to over mix, you want the swirls.

7.  Pour into mold.  Take a toothpick and slowly swirl together, note you do have to almost touch the bottom to create the desired look.  Go slow or you will get bubbles.

8.  Allow to resin to cure for 24-48 hours.

9.  Un-mold 

10.  Add Burnt Umber paint to create the desired Faux look.

Once you have the faux resin embellishment you can add it to anything.  I choose to paint a faux Jade on a  wooden box and add my embellishments to it.  The gold trim was painted with a mixture of Alumilite Metallic Powder and 3D Crystal Lacquer.

The box from the back.

Top of the box.

Close up of the resin embellishment.

Back of box.

Back of box.

Close up of the resin embellishment on the back of the box.

Inside of the box.

I am really pleased with how this piece turned out.  I do plan on trying this again an maybe make some faux Jade earrings.  I did find using a bigger mold was easier for the first time trying this technique.  Side note: this piece has already been claimed by my mom who has a real Jade collection.