How To Make A Resin Crystal

Inspired by rock formations found in nature, geode resin art is popular for good reason. Using tinted resin, glitter, crushed glass and real crystals, the possibilities are endless and the results are beautiful.

You can buy crystals and gemstones to create geode art but they're expensive and since each one is unique, you might not always find exactly what you want. Now, thanks to Mold Making Material, when you find a crystal you love, you can duplicate it (and even customize the color) as many times as you wish.

We’re going to show you 2 ways to make your own crystals for geode art:

  1. how to copy a quartz cluster.
  2. how to copy several small gemstones or pieces of glass.

Let's get started!




Quartz Crystal Cluster

quartz crystal cluster made of resin


What You'll Need:

  • A quartz crystal cluster
  • A plastic container slightly bigger than the crystal
  • Mold Making Material
  • Hot glue gun (optional)
  • ArtResin epoxy resin 
  • Disposable gloves
  • Stir Sticks
  • Mixing cup with easy to read measurement lines 
  • ResinTint Colorants (optional)


Browse our resin art tools & accessories.

supplies you need to make your own resin crystal


1. Prepare The Mold Making Material:

Measure out equal amounts of Mold Making Material and stir it up. Conveniently, Mold Making Material comes in a Part A and Part B that are 2 different colors: white and dark blue. You'll know when the mixture is ready once the color becomes a consistent medium blue hue. 

Mold Makin Material diy silicone molds

pour part A of mold making material
pour part B of mold making material
mix mold making material together until one consistent hue


Mold Making Material is a 2 part silicone product that makes durable, flexible molds
that stretch without tearing and can be used over and over again. It's non-toxic, odorless and safe for home use. There are no VOCs, no BPAs, and no fumes.



2. Prepare Crystal & Container

Find a plastic container just slightly bigger than the crystal. The box should provide a snug fit while still leaving about 1/2" of space on each side to create a strong, durable mold that can be used again and again. You can use plastic or plastic lined items such as reusable food containers, yogurt cups or milk containers cut to size. Place the crystal into the container. 
💡TIP: Depending on the weight of your crystal, you may or may not need to glue it down to the bottom of your plastic container.

quartz crystal points cluster for geode resin art

place crystal into container to make silcone mold



3. Pour Into The Container:

Pour the Mold Making Material into one corner and let it flow over the crystal. Let it sit for 3-4 hours at room temperature. You’ll know it’s ready when it’s no longer tacky to the touch.

pour Mold Making Material into a container

To remove the mold, gently pry it from the container until it releases.


remove silicone mold from container



Once the mold is released, the crystal needs to be removed.  Using a utility knife, carefully cut the mold across the top of the crystal and pry it out.  

cut silicone mold to remove crystal
remove crystal from silicone mold


When you look inside, you can see that all of the details of your crystal have been captured perfectly. 
Congratulations - your mold is complete and you're ready to make replicas!

look inside the silicone mold to see the detail


Making A Replica

You can use many different substances to fill the mold, such as cement, plaster, polyurethane, soap, clay, polymer clay, play dough and wax, but we recommend ArtResin epoxy resin in combination with our line of ResinTintsWhether you tint it or use it straight out of the bottle, ArtResin gives your crystal replica a glass like finish that’s as shiny as the real thing. 


💡 TIP: You can also use Mold Making Material for food safe molds to create personalized shapes out of chocolate, candy, ice, butter and more!  Just remember, molds made for use with food should ONLY be used for food.  For more information, see our blog Make Your Own Food Safe Silicone Molds.

artresin and resintint to make resin molds

 


Just like Mold Making Material, ArtResin is a simple 1:1 ratio of resin and hardener. Measure out equal parts of both solutions and mix thoroughly for 3 minutes. You’ll have approximately 45 minutes of working time with the resin mixture before it will begin to set.

pouring resin into measuring cup

pouring hardener into measuring cup
mixing epoxy resin for 3 minutes


One of the great benefits of making your own crystals is that you can customize them to suit your own colour palette using ResinTint, our line of premium liquid colorants.  Add a few drops of ResinTint into the ArtResin and mix together until you have one consistent hue. ResinTint is a highly saturated colorant so always start with less than you think you'll need - you can always add more if necessary. 
💡TIP:  No matter which colorant you use, don't exceed 6% of the total combined volume of resin and hardener, otherwise your resin may not cure properly.  For example, if you have 50 ml resin + 50 ml hardener for a total of 100 ml, don't exceed 6 ml of colorant.

tint your resin and pour into a silicone mold


Pour your clear or tinted resin into the mold and let it sit for at least 24 hours. ArtResin is hard to the touch after 24 hours, but a full, hardened cure will take 72.

pour resin into silicone mold

Once 24 hours has passed, the resin will be hard to the touch and the crystal casting can be removed from the mold.
 You can repeat this process many times over - the mold is strong enough to make multiple copies.

remove resin crystal from silicone mold

final resin crystal


We were so happy with the incredible detail we were able to capture with our molds that we decided to create a piece of geode art of our own. 

geode resin art


Crushed Glass

making diy resin crushed glass pieces for geode art


What You'll Need:

  • Crushed glass pieces or gemstones
  • A shallow plastic container 
  • Mold Making Material
  • Hot glue gun
  • ArtResin epoxy resin 
  • Disposable gloves
  • Stir Sticks
  • Mixing cup with easy to read measurement lines 
  • ResinTint (optional)


1. Prepare Glass Pieces & The Container

Find a shallow plastic container to fit several glass pieces. The container should be big enough to fit your pieces while still leaving about 1/2" of space on each side to create a strong, durable mold that can be used again and again. You can use plastic or plastic lined items such as reusable food containers, yogurt cups or milk containers cut to size.

Glue down the glass pieces with a hot glue gun: because they are lightweight, they will shift under the weight of the Mold Making Material. 

fireglass pieces for geode resin art
hot glue your glass pieces to container before pouring silicone mold making material

hot glue gun down glass pieces to bottom of container


2. Prepare The Mold Making Material:

Measure out equal amounts of Mold Making Material and stir it up. Conveniently, Mold Making Material comes in a Part A and Part B that are 2 different colors: white and dark blue. You'll know when the mixture is ready once the color becomes a consistent medium blue hue. 

making diy silicone molds
making silicone molds with mold making material

mixing up mold making material


Mold Making Material is a 2 part silicone product that makes durable, flexible molds that stretch without tearing and can be used over and over again. It's non-toxic, odorless and safe for home use. There are no VOCs, no BPAs, and no fumes.



3. Pour Into The Container:

Pour the Mold Making Material into one corner and let it flow over the crushed glass pieces. Let it sit for 3-4 hours at room temperature. You’ll know it’s ready when it’s no longer tacky to the touch.

pouring silicone mold making material to make diy resin glass for geode art

pouring mold making material to make resin fireglass for geode art


To remove the mold, gently pry it from the container until it releases.


remove silicone mold from container


Once the mold is released, the glass pieces need to be removed.
 Because the individual glass pieces have flat bottoms, they simply pop right out of the mold. Congratulations - your mold is complete and you're ready to make replicas! 

silicone mold ready for resin pour

Making A Replica


You can use many different substances to fill the mold, such as cement, plaster, soap, clay, polymer clay, play dough and wax, but we recommend ArtResin epoxy resin in combination with our line of ResinTints.Whether you tint it or use it straight out of the bottle, ArtResin gives your crystal replica a glass like finish that’s as shiny as the real thing. 

💡 TIP: You can also use Mold Making Material to create molds that are food safe for making personalized shapes out of chocolate, candy, ice, butter and more!  Just remember, molds made for use with food should ONLY be used for food.  For more information, see our blog Make Your Own Food Safe Silicone Molds.

artresin and resintint to make resin molds


Just like Mold Making Material, ArtResin is a simple 1:1 ratio of resin and hardener. Measure out equal parts of both solutions and mix thoroughly for 3 minutes. You’ll have approximately 45 minutes of working time with the resin mixture before it will begin to set.

mixed artresin


Pour your tinted resin into the mold and let it sit for at least 24 hours. ArtResin is hard to the touch after 24 hours, but a full, hardened cure will take 72.

pouring epoxy resin into silicone mold


Once 24 hours has passed, the resin will be hard to the touch and the crystal casting can be removed from the mold.
 You can repeat this process many times over - the mold is strong enough to make multiple copies.

removing cured resin pieces from mold

cured resin pieced removed from silicone mold


One of the great benefits of making your own crystals is that you can customize them to suit your own colour palette using ResinTint, our line of premium liquid colorants.  Add a few drops of ResinTint into the ArtResin and mix together until you have one consistent hue. ResinTint is a highly saturated colorant so always start with less than you think you'll need - you can always add more if necessary. 

💡TIP:  No matter which colorant you use, don't exceed 6% of the total combined volume of resin and hardener, otherwise your resin may not cure properly.  For example, if you have 50 ml resin + 50 ml hardener for a total of 100 ml, don't exceed 6 ml of colorant.

epoxy resin tinted gold

pouring tinted resin into silicone mold

cured gold resin fireglass replicas


We were so happy with the incredible detail we were able to capture with our molds that we decided to create a piece of geode art of our own. 

resin geode art

resin geode art

Who knew cloning could be such fun?!

Well, we did. And that’s why there’s Mold Making Material.

So go ahead. Make a copy.
And then make another, and another, and another, and another…



Learn more resin art techniques in out how-to tutorials: 


ArtResin: The Original Epoxy For Resin Art.

About the author: Joanne Wright

I'm Joanne, the Marketing Content Writer at ArtResin. Originally from Canada, my home is now Indianapolis, Indiana. My love of all things creative and my entrepreneurial heart means I’ve worn many hats over the years including fashion producer & stylist, retail store owner, t-shirt designer, and even vegan baker! I...