Gold Flake & Black Heart Pendant

Gold Flake & Black Heart Pendant

Hello everyone! Today’s blog will guide you all in how to make your own gold flake heart pendant with whichever background color you choose. You can watch my youtube video on it here:

You will first start by collecting all the necessary items:

1. Resin.

2. Gold Flake (I use Kinno’s gold flakes).

3. A heart mold (any size will work, I got mine at a local craft store).

4. Liquid dye and or pigment of your choice.

5. Gold Bail.

6. Glue ( I recommend G-S Hypo Cement).

7. Gold Chain

8. Liquid Latex 

9. Pliers or Tweezers (it will be explained later on)

10. Plastic Syringe

11. Triple Thick Gloss and paint brush (OPTIONAL)

12. Mixing Cup

13. Popsicle Sticks (or any other stirring tool)

Now then, if you have all that you need, it’s time to get started!

STEPS:

1.  Mix and pour the first layer.

The first thing you will do is mix your resin together, then add some gold flakes in with the resin. Depending on how much of the gold flake you add, it will affect how much the back layer will show through the front. Don’t add too much unless you want it to be nothing but gold flake throughout the heart. If you want to have a visible back layer, then please be careful of how much you use.

Once you have the amount of gold flake you want into the resin, pour it into the resin. However deep the mold is you’re using, and how thick you want your piece, only fill with gold resin half way. In this image, I only poured enough to cover the bottom of the mold. Wait for the first layer to fully cure

2. Pour the second layer.

Whichever color you chose for the back layer, you will now take your syringe, and use it to fill in the back layer. In this example picture, I only used 2 mL’s per heart mold, about the same as the front layer. 

3. Demold your piece.

Once your second layer has fully cured, you can remove your piece from the mold and observe how your soon-to-be pendant turned out!

4. Glue on the bail.

You’ll take your piece/pieces (depending if you made a large number of them like I did), and you’ll glue the bail onto the back of the heart. Wait for the glue to fully dry for this next step.

5. Coat the front of the piece with liquid latex.

I highly recommend this, unless the shape of your mold will make this difficult to follow. If that is the case, skip these next couple steps. For those who can or would like to follow these instructions, read carefully. Use your tweezers to grab hold of the loop of the bail, and carefully lower the heart into the liquid latex. DO NOT let the heart be completely covered; leave the back of the heart untouched by the liquid latex. Set it aside on a drying mat. Allow the latex to fully dry, then repeat this process a second time. The second coating ensures that there are no gaps or bubbles from your first layer.

6. Add an extra layer of resin to the back of the piece for security.

After your second layer has dried, you’ll set your heart face down, where the back is open, and then apply a thin layer of resin over the bail and along the back of it. This not only keeps the bail secure, but it also keeps the back from having any sharp edges when worn.

7. Remove the latex.

After the resin has fully cured on the back, you can now remove the latex from the front and sides of the heart. The latex has protected the front of the heart from any resin runover from your final coating to the back. 

8. String Up the Heart!

Whether you chose to apply the backing layer or not, you can now apply a chain to your pendant!

9. A Little Extra Polish

If the front of your heart looks cloudy, or just not shiny enough for you, you can apply triple thick gloss on the front. You will need a paint brush for this. There are 2 ways you can do this. You can either apply it thinly, to keep brush strokes for a more crafted look, or you can apply it thickly so it’s a smooth coat on the front. Triple Thick does take a full day before it’s fully dried. Once you have made the finishing touches, you’re done!

I hope you found my guide to be very helpful, and that you make your own personalized gold flake heart pendants. Have a good day, and stay creative!