Resin jewelry is becoming more and more popular in the last few years, especially on Etsy. When I got into working with resin there were a few things that I had to find out before I could use it on commercial projects. One of them was if resin jewelry is waterproof. So I did some tests and in this article, I will share my results.
Resin jewelry is waterproof if they are purely made out of resin. But if the resin jewelry has wooden or metal parts on it then these parts will not be waterproof and should not be exposed to water over longer periods of time. Wood might get damaged and metal can start to tarnish more quickly.
It is generally advised to remove any resin jewelry, or any jewelry for that matter, before showering or taking a bath. This will drastically increase the longevity of any jewelry in general.
But there are some things that need to be considered with resin jewelry. Because even though some resin jewelry is waterproof, there are other types of resin jewelry that are not.
I will explain exactly what kind of resin jewelry can be exposed to water and which can not in this article.
Is Resin Jewelry Waterproof?
There are a lot of different types of resin that are all used in making resin jewelry.
There is art resin, which is most often used for making resin jewelry because of its ease of use.
There are deep pour resins that are specially made for casting very thick pieces of resin. Those are usually used for making fake water for dioramas or for making river tables. But deep pour resin is sometimes also used for making jewelry.
There is also UV resin which is often used for painted resin jewelry but it is also used to make regular resin jewelry.
I personally tested every single one of these resins and they are all waterproof even when exposed to water directly for multiple hours.
You can read all about that right here.
So the resin in resin jewelry is not the problem here. It´s actually the other materials that are used to make the resin jewelry.
Materials like metal or wood, that are often incorporated in resin jewelry, won´t survive as much contact with water as resin does.
If the wooden pieces of your resin jewelry are completely covered by the resin then you don´t have to worry as only direct contact with water could harm the wood.
But if the wooden pieces are bare then they won´t survive much contact with water.
Wood in resin jewelry is often only sealed with a basic varnish that will protect the wood from a few drops of water but no more.
Metal will easily survive some contact with water but it will tarnish faster.
Tarnish is a dull layer of corrosion that will appear after a while on most metals when they had too much contact with water.
But it can also appear after a very long time of wearing the metal as a result of natural corrosion over time.
Basically, what all of that means is, that it is advisable to keep jewelry of any kind away from water as much as possible. Resin jewelry will survive contact with water very well but continuous exposure to water or repeated exposure over longer durations can damage parts of the resin jewelry.
Hi, I am a passionate maker and professional prop maker for the entertainment industry. I use my woodworking, programming, electronics, and illustration know-how to create interactive props and puzzles for Escape Games and marketing agencies. And I share my knowledge and my experience on this blog with you so that you can become a maker yourself.