Tide Pool Ring :: Ring a Week No. 27

My friend, Carolyn, of Sleeping Dog Studio recently shared some resin with me and I've been eager to try it out. So, for this week's Ring A Week ring I fabricated this sterling silver ring, added three tiny shells collected during a vacation, and filled the sterling saucer with resin, partially submerging the shells. The clear resin looks like water and this piece reminds me of a tide pool.

I didn't want to waste the 1/2 ounce batch of resin I had mixed for the ring and since it is usable for about 45 minutes after mixing, I looked around the studio to quickly figure out what else I might do with it. I have a packet of small manufactured sterling bezel cups that I never use since I prefer to make my own so they were perfect for experimenting. I also hang on to the pnp paper I use to transfer my designs for etching; the leftover bits are lovely and so I save some them. I decided to try embedding some of the tinier designs in resin, in the bezel cups, and made several pendants like the one below. The photo doesn't quite do it justice since the branch design actually appears to be floating and the image is sharper than the photo conveys. This was my first time working with resin and it was fun to experiment.