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vintageaerith β Tutorial: Cosplay Jewel-Making
Published: 2009-03-23 23:31:33 +0000 UTC; Views: 162875; Favourites: 4786; Downloads: 2621
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Description
Painless, and hopefully profitable for the cosplay crowd out there. I have to cast a large quantity of half-dollar sized dome jewels for Nia, and the experience has been kinda fun, so I thought I'd share it with you all. ^^Thanks to HCC Cosplay for inspiring/instructing me to make them, though I found my own method, which is what this tutorial illustrates.
Aaaand thanks to ~spiked-stock , who pointed me in the direction of that site AND is keeping me sane while I make my Nia costume. x3 And is the best sewing teacher ever--I crashed her room for five hours the other night to make my skirt.
Hope this is helpful! Post if you have any questions!
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Comments: 472
would i be able to make a Flame Princess head piece with this tutorial or are the diamond corners too pointed?
if they are, can you shape these into a shape you want?
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You should be able to do that if you use a mold that can be destroyed/torn away (like a cheap soap mold--I did diamond-shaped jewels for Franziska von Karma in a similar manner), or by using a knife or very sharp scissors while the resin is still 'gummy'
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Thanks 
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THIS IS WONDERFUL! Β I've been wanting to try this to make my Nia cosplay, since finding smooth AND flat-backed gems already made seems to be impossible. Β GLORIOUS! Β 
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Thank you, I'll be sure to credit you if I post anything! Β ^__^
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Is the whole resin set up expensive ?
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Nah! EasyCast is about $10 and you can get about 20 smaller-sized jewels out of that package, or 5-6 large ones, if not more.
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Thank you for getting back to me. Any place to buy the kits that you would suggest ?
- xox
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Michael's and ACMoore both carry it! It should be near the polyester resin, clay, and molds
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Ahhhh, this is exactly what I need for my PB costume for Dragon*Con!
Thank you!!
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No prob, hope it turns out awesomely!
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Thanks!!
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OWMAYGAWD!!! THIS IS AMAZING!!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING!!!!!... >///<
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I can only imagine how many Madoka Magica cosplayers will find this handy ( myself included ). Finding rhinestones for Madoka's was no problem, but this'll probably save me when it comes to Mami and Homura, and now I think I'll use this when I remake Madoka's-- it'll look so much better! Thank you!
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No prob!
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Great tutorial! I dabble in resin casting myself. Have you ever heard of a molding product called Amazing Mold putty? I use it to make molds of magatama charms for necklaces. They're super flexible and fun to work with. I don't have any experience with resin dye, but if you're ever looking for an awesome way to make glittery castings, try adding in eyeshadow powder. I use old eyeshadow of mine to make beautifully pigmented magatamas, I even use some of my mom's old makeup glitter too. Its fun to work with if you don't need a clear colored resin piece. I'm uploading the photo of my first magatama as we speak, check it out when you can. Again, great tutorial, thanks!
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Oh wow, interesting!! So you can make better custom molds that way? I have a lot of people ask if they can make their molds out of plaster or other materials so that they can cast something extra-custom, and I never knew what to tell them, so thank you, that helps loads! The glitter eyeshadow sounds like a great idea too ;w;
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quick question- how did you attach the jewels to your nia cosplay? (sorry if you already said this and i accidentally skipped it)
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Just hot glue! 
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((Oh gosh can I worship you for this? XD I just need to find UK equivalents 
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extremely useful tutorial, thanks for taking the time making this for us. :3
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Of course
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I'm pretty sure you saved me the headache to search for good gems- thanks so much!!
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Im from the UK, where would I get the stuff to make the gems from generally?
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This is awesome, I wanna try it too! Thanks very much!
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Can you "carve" it into other, more angular shapes when it's dry from a circle?
How exactly does that work?
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It essentially hardens into a very firm, 'gummy' consistency with a somewhat slick/sticky surface. You can cut it with the proper tools while it's still curing, like after 7-8 hours when it's hard enough to remove in a solid form but still pliable enough to cut. Please be careful, though!!
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Thanks!
One more question though, could I make it into a shape with many faces? Like a gemstone?
I just don't see the use for wasting a soap mold figuring it'd take me long enough to find one in the first place!
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I imagine that would be very difficult, to cut the resin on multi-faceted angles like that? I would more be afraid for your safety in case the knife/cutting tool slid or cut in a direction you weren't expecting, because naturally the resin is very hard and plastic-like and thus could make it very dangerous. That being said, I've cut thin/flat gems, but only on the edges to change the outside shape, not along the planes of the gem itself.
Soap molds generally cost $2, if not less, and a lot of them come in multi-faceted gem shapes (check online, in Michael's or AC Moore, or specialty craft shops--you're bound to find a huge selection amongst those three), so I would say that it's worth the investment even if you have to cut your way out of them at the end!
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Hi there! I was about to try making a star shaped hairpin but you said nothing with corners or sides... But what if the mould is like a silicone rubber like mould???
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Silicone rubber will not work with resin (it produces an exothermic reaction and the heat produced might make it fuse to the rubber/you won't ever be able to peel it off). You can use a star-shaped plastic mold as long as you are willing to cut away and destroy the mold to get the resin out--soap molds are usually made of pretty flimsy plastic and are good for this!
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Ah alrighty. I did try to find star shaped palettes but they don't seem to have them anywhere online. I will find a way though and I will do my best to follow this exact tutorial properly!
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GOD...that was AWESOMEEEE~ XD
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I'm gunna need this for the summer!! Thanks so much for making this!
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Yay! This is probably one of the best tutorials Ive seen for this.
Do you have any tips for attaching the jewels to fabric?
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HOT GLUUUUE
I am the most legit with construction
(seriously though that's all I use xD)
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Is it possible to make them as circle jewels but then cut them into squares once they're dry?
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Yes! I've done this :3
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Wonderful! What did you use to cut it?
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Scissors! haha
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