How to set rhinestones in resin

April 21, 2014 2:35 AM

How do you firmly set rhinestones in resin? Rhinestones in metal settings like these bangles. Is there a name for these settings? Where can you buy them? How are they put in and how do they stay in place? (Google not working!)
posted by inkypinky to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

I'm slightly confused, but the answer regardless is "epoxy." The metal settings are epoxied to the bangle. The rhinestones are enormously likely to be set into the metal as part of the manufacturing process, but they too are each epoxied to the metal setting -- the metal will have small divots to hold them. If you are looking for rhinestone pieces to adhere to bangles, search for rhinestone embellishments.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:29 AM on April 21, 2014

If I understand your question (maybe not?) -- here are some metal settings for rhinestones.

The bangles have the stones in metal settings (as you note) and not in resin. There are different ways to do this. Most common: prong setting, bezel setting.
posted by kmennie at 3:37 AM on April 21, 2014

Response by poster: I should have explained I am looking for the way the metal is stuck into or through the resin. These metal settings aren't just epoxied onto the surface, there is an extra step. Something like bedazzling or riveting into a hole drilled right through the resin, or else there are claws or pins at the back of the metal which are set into the liquid resin.
posted by inkypinky at 4:30 AM on April 21, 2014

Can you link to another pic? The J. Crew bangles look to be: rhinestone embellishments epoxied to plastic bangles. I don't see evidence of an extra step in the bracelets. If there was one there's no way to ID it from that photo alone.

Here is a hair comb with a rhinestone embellishment that is riveted to the comb. Other pix

Another pic of one of the bangles shows the maker's mark inside is a 3D thing, and it's not going to be riveted like the hair comb as it would show on the other side. Epoxy is almost certainly the answer for the bracelets.
posted by kmennie at 4:54 AM on April 21, 2014 [1 favorite]

I agree with kmennie, the bracelets in the picture you link to just appear to have the embellishments glued on not set into the resin
posted by missmagenta at 6:12 AM on April 21, 2014

In your sample, the rhinestones are set in bezels, which are attached to the resin bangles with epoxy.

There's also an epoxy designed to both secure and frame rhinestones and a host of other things (IOW to substitute for the bezels). The folks at Fire Mountain Gems sell "Apoxie," a moldable, colorable plastic goo which hardens in air. This YouTube video demonstrates how you can combine epoxy and rhinestones for a pave look. The quality of their semi-previous stones is C+ and spendy unless you're buying bulk, but they accurately describe what they sell and they sell a huge range of products. Swarovski is a commodity, and FMG has a ton of it!
posted by Jesse the K at 5:30 PM on April 21, 2014