New resin jewelry

Just a few pictures today of some new patterns I'm working on.  Flowers and birds.  Seemed perfect for Spring!











It's a few basic patterns with mostly color changes from pendant to pendant.














The bird of paradises are my favorites of the florals.  Love the bright colors!!










By the way, did you notice that I spiffed up the blog?  What do you think?

5 biggest blunders men make when buying jewelry for Mother's Day

*Ladies, since so many of you responded that this article was helpful to your men, I am sharing it again.*

I love it when guys are buying jewelry for their ladies. It's such a sweet and thoughtful notion on their part. I LOVE to help them! Unfortunately, it doesn't always turn out well, so I wanted to share the top five mistakes guys make buying jewelry:

1. Not knowing the details. I have actually had men buy earrings for a gift and not know if the woman had pierced ears. Wow! Major gamble! Find out as much information about your lady as possible. A good start is to find out a ring size, bracelet size, preferred length of necklaces, color preferences, metal preferences and any allergies.

2. Getting her something she doesn't have. This is only a good thing if you have heard her say that she wants a ".....". For example, if she doesn't own any bracelets, there may be a good reason why. Maybe she has a job where it gets in the way or she would have to take it off frequently. Take a quick inventory of her jewelry and get an idea of what she prefers or take notes the next time you are window shopping together.

3. Not considering the "what ifs". Is your jewelry purchase sizable? Can you return or exchange it if she doesn't like it? What if she likes the pendant but wants a different chain? Understand the exchange and return policy on the jewelry BEFORE you purchase it.

4. Buying something that doesn't go with her body type. Believe it or not, how a piece of jewelry is shaped or formed impacts how it looks on a person. For example, round earrings do not look good on a woman with a round face. A small pendant on a short chain isn't particularly flattering to a curvaceous woman with a large bustline. When you're buying the piece, get the person helping you to give suggestions or even the model the jewelry if necessary to help with the decision making process.

5. Buying something that doesn't go with her style. Buy her something she will wear! If she doesn't go to a lot of fancy occasions, she may not get a lot of wear from a big, fancy cocktail ring. Inexpensive earrings may be a better fit for daily wear. If she does a lot of work with her hands, a ring may not hold up to her rough schedule, but a necklace might fit the bill

Mother's Day is coming up and I am happy to help the guys out there get a special gift for the moms in their lives. Contact me at the KMS Designs jewelry website for help getting your special gift.

Tips for using resin to make jewelry

I've had a few followers email me with questions about my experiences with using resin in jewelry making. I thought I would share a few tips and what I've learned from my mistakes with readers.

Picture credit: "Pink and green epoxy resin, sterling silver french wire earrings"

1. Everything you are using must be completely dry. If you're using a setting that you have made yourself, make sure it is "bone dry" before putting the resin in it. Resin does not like additional moisture and even the slightest amount of water in the corners of your piece may keep the resin from setting properly. If my sterling silver setting has just come out of the pickle pot, I will put a heat gun on it for a few seconds to evaporate any water before pouring.
2. Follow the mixing directions exactly. This may seem like "duh", but I'm also the type that just kind of shakes off the excess flour in the measuring cup when I'm making a recipe. In order for it to cure properly, things must be exact. (And by the way, every resin is different in it's mixing instructions. I always reread the directions every time I mix a resin.)
3. Measure the resin and catalyst in two separate cups before mixing. I know cups get expensive, but that way if you overpour one, you can put some back without messing up your ratios.
   
4. Have everything ready to go before you mix and pour. Resins have what's called a "pot" time. This is the amount of time that the resin is fluid and you can work with it. The polyester resin I use has about an 8 minute pot time. I don't have any time to waste! I have my molds and inclusions (usually glass pieces) ready to go so that my resin doesn't set up in the mixing cup before it gets poured.
5. If something goes wrong, call technical support of the company that made it. They know a lot about their product! I have done this for a couple of the resins I work with. Sometimes it was my fault, sometimes it was the Florida humidity. I would also suggest being "boy scout honest" with these people. If you're using a pigments and inclusions, let them know. They certainly can't give you the best pointers without knowing all the information.
6. Plan on experimenting, then abusing the pieces before selling. I will experiment with different pigments, colors, inks, inclusions, found objects, etc., then let the "elements" take over. I leave them in the sun, close to heat, etc. I want to know that even though the piece looks good when it pops out of the mold, I want to make sure it doesn't get icky later. (Remember that resin doesn't like water? Some of the pigments I put it can attract water. I want to make sure the piece doesn't go haywire in a couple of weeks or so.)

Those are my basic tips. I know there are some discussion boards out there too with people's comments. Happy jewelry making!

Picture credit: "Gotcha candy heart, epoxy resin pendant"

5 biggest blunders men make when buying jewelry for a gift

I love it when guys are buying jewelry for their ladies. It's such a sweet and thoughtful notion on their part. I LOVE to help them! Unfortunately, it doesn't always turn out well, so I wanted to share the top five mistakes guys make buying jewelry:

1. Not knowing the details. I have actually had men buy earrings for a gift and not know if the woman had pierced ears. Wow! Major gamble! Find out as much information about your lady as possible. A good start is to find out a ring size, bracelet size, preferred length of necklaces, color preferences, metal preferences and any allergies.

2. Getting her something she doesn't have. This is only a good thing if you have heard her say that she wants a ".....". For example, if she doesn't own any bracelets, there may be a good reason why. Maybe she has a job where it gets in the way or she would have to take it off frequently. Take a quick inventory of her jewelry and get an idea of what she prefers or take notes the next time you are window shopping together.

3. Not considering the "what ifs". Is your jewelry purchase sizable? Can you return or exchange it if she doesn't like it? What if she likes the pendant but wants a different chain? Understand the exchange and return policy on the jewelry BEFORE you purchase it.

4. Buying something that doesn't go with her body type. Believe it or not, how a piece of jewelry is shaped or formed impacts how it looks on a person. For example, round earrings do not look good on a woman with a round face. A small pendant on a short chain isn't particularly flattering to a curvaceous woman with a large bustline. When you're buying the piece, get the person helping you to give suggestions or even the model the jewelry if necessary to help with the decision making process.

5. Buying something that doesn't go with her style. Buy her something she will wear! If she doesn't go to a lot of fancy occasions, she may not get a lot of wear from a big, fancy cocktail ring. Inexpensive earrings may be a better fit for daily wear. If she does a lot of work with her hands, a ring may not hold up to her rough schedule, but a necklace might fit the bill

Mother's Day is coming up and I am happy to help the guys out there get a special gift for the moms in their lives. Contact me at the KMS Designs jewelry website for help getting your special gift.