I've been working on casting realistic faux gemstones with resin lately and have come up with a black opal that I'm really proud of. I decided to try black opals because they are extremely valuable gemstones due to their rarity and dark, iridescent beauty. Since I work mostly with natural gemstones, realism is important to me, and I wanted to make an earring that wouldn't fool a jeweler, but still have the character and beauty of the real gem.
Aside from the enormous difference in cost, one of the great parts of using resin is I can make opals in any shape or size. I decided to use heart post earrings. I've written this tutorial to show you my technique and the process of making these faux opal earrings.
Here's the tutorial:
FAUX BLACK OPAL CAST RESIN EARRINGS TUTORIAL
Here are the finished earrings for sale:
Black Opal Hearts - Faux Gemstone Earrings, Handmade Resin Heart Post Earrings $38