Resin Casting Opal or Mother of Pearl Effects

Today I'm sharing how I create some opal/mother of pearl effects in resin casting.
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[@BrennaDraws]

Well I know what one of my dice projects is gonna be.

[@Roboboy17]

How did they turn out?

[@BrennaDraws]

@@Roboboy17 I haven't actually had a chance to. XD Things got hard last yera so didn't get a chance to buy as much in the way of resin supplies. Though I did make a cute set of dice for my SIL for her druid with dried lavender in from my garden :)

[@slapitman]

Such a great idea. As a guitar maker I will definitely be trying this for inlay work. Love the idea of potentially pouring it directly into the CNC cut inlay recesses on a fretboard.

[@kathrineyamamoto4047]

The black makes it look like shell, so pretty!

[@StefanieMystery]

Soooo true ^^

[@annettegongora156]

Yes like real abalone!

[@isidoreaerys8745]

The black swirl def looked awesome. Really illustrative of why Opal cutters are so insistent upon the “black body tone” which is why lightning ridge black opals are worth so much more than clear crystal Opals

[@brandonmccain5983]

I have a good bit of...well bits and spare crystal opal. Doublet material and jars full of Crystal bits (andamooka, LR, and Queensland), Coober Pedy bits (white), dark crystal lightning ridge bits, very bright and sits very well over treated andamooka matrix bits, sandstoney type (fairy opal) and also dark iron colored body tone koroit (yowah) opal bits with plenty rainbow lightning bolts running through them 🌈 😬 this paired with the bright crystal opal bits inside a floating opal is a eye pleaser! I also have tons of other material to play with. To name a few. Gulf oyster, I'm from louisiana and shucked oysters for a period and kept a few shells that stuck out. Not your typical white shell. They have great dark tones, reds purples and golds and a id say with a digital army camo mother of pearl pattern along with tons of pearls. Various shells. Abalone and what not. Right now I'm working on a pendant sliced spiral snail shell inlayed with some top grade welo I had collecting dust. The backing is purple heart, which I have a variety of nice slices of around 12 different exotic woods, which I use for various projects, built my dad a lamp and charging station for his phone came out better than expected. nice cheap bid on eBay. Score! This gave me an idea between using a piece of solid opal crystal or perhaps a thick doublet joined to a piece of boulder rough. Veiny koroit should do, via epoxy resin with some crushed glow in the dark phosphorus mixed in. Then cut (rectangle) or carved and inlayed into a slice of inlayed wood for a border then set in a pendant mount. Nice little process but should make a nice gift for someone. Enough rambling. Time to eat me a bit 😬 of food, then back to the opals.

[@YesItsTom2U]

I've been playing with this over a year in my paintings. I finally have a really good opal effect. The trick is not to mix it in the resin (or paint for me) but to have multiple layers of textured surfaces that you rub the powder onto. You also need the gold interference and a good colorshift powder. I use Riddler from Didspade (teal green to purple shift). You might also want to try a gold to red shift from there too. Good luck!

[@ZacHiggins]

Those are some great tips!! I'll have to try that out, thank you for sharing =D

[@lynnsonmor4330]

Great video, while watching I was thinking of trying in my paintings . Thank you also for the tips 👍😊

[@markbrouhard8182]

YesItsTom2U do you have any KZbin videos or pics? I'd like to see what you're describing!

[@YesItsTom2U]

Mark Brouhard I’m not a KZbin video person, however if you give me an email address I can send you some pics of what I’m talking about.

[@Joge_yt]

@@YesItsTom2U I'd also like to see your finished product if you don't mind! I'm trying to plan a cast and I'd love any ideas to make it better. I'll msg you my email

[@Quin_79]

Absolutely loved the black added to the pearls!!! They would make for VERY FUN AND FUNKY PIECES FOR AN EARRING, NECKLACE AND RING SET!!!

[@AGee2217]

Thanks for sharing! Beautiful work!

[@keelygee8734]

The black added is stunning!!!

[@tereorru]

Beautiful results! thanks for sharing

[@lancemorgan651]

Stunning blanks Zac

[@PrincessDelaniePants]

I’d love to see more of this! I’m trying so hard to make opal!

[@tammymurphy1268]

Love the black in with the pearl💞

[@ShawContessa]

oh wow that black made it pop love it!!!

[@Temblett1]

This is the most epic find for me - thank you so much!

[@crystallucius7280]

This is one of my favorites so far, definitely want to make dice like this! Thank you!

[@keilaniwilliams9311]

yay! i'll be trying to create a mother of pearl/ rose gold river table as my new desk. i'm so excited!

[@PassionForNailArt]

Cool idea. Really liked the combination of black swirls with it !

[@pjshat]

Love this! Great idea! Thank you!

[@michellecrist653]

That black swirl was freaking awesome!!!!

[@chrisharrison5974]

They are great results and look really easy. Definitely one I will be trying. Many thanks xx

[@ying-syuanzeng4882]

I am so happy to came across this video!!! Can’t wait to try this recipe out for my next project!!! Thank you so much for sharing this and making a such informative video!!!❤️❤️❤️

[@GIRLBOSS-1111]

They’re beautiful oh my goodness thank you for this video

[@robertcornelius3514]

You are doing an outstanding job with your videos.

[@kawaiilombax]

This is a gorgeous method ! Especially the ones with black ! Wow !

[@blackberrybunny]

OMG, I love it, especially with the black swirled in!

[@ZacHiggins]

Thanks Molly! Yeah, that black really makes it pop!

[@cynthiaslater7445]

Your experiment turned out beautiful. Great idea for resin jewelry and any project. Thanks for sharing.

[@TheSilverlady1980]

I would love coasters in the pearl wow gorgeous.

[@ScrapwoodCity]

Very useful, thanks for sharing man!

[@katedanks]

This is awesome. I love the ones with the black. It really reminds me of abalone shells. This is going into my next batch of pins! I already have all those powders too!

[@jewellzify]

This would make a gorgeous counter top or table top especially with the black swirl! Thanks for sharing!

[@JohnClothier]

They look really effective! Thanks for sharing!

[@ZacHiggins]

Thanks for checking it out brother!! Hope you can use it or a modified version sometime =D

[@valborchardt3596]

Thanks Zac. Real cool blanks you made. Love the colors. Look forward to another video. As always take care

[@ZacHiggins]

Thanks Val =D

[@robinfeliciano9787]

This is absolutely beautiful! I exceptionally love the black in it. A lot of us do not have a pressure pot. I so want at least a small one but I know they are expensive. I so want to try this. 💖

[@barbatloosenutproductions2027]

Wow! Thank you, for sharing your tutorial. Many beautiful castings are now possible thanks to you! Many blessings to you and yours! 🤗👍💖

[@ferzandax3484]

I simply loved it!!! I've been searching for a technique like yours to make a little project I've been thinking of...

[@ajaamari175]

I love this! The color combo with the smidgen of black in it really gives me an idea for a clock design😍

[@vincetovar4472]

Going to make some black opal type scales. Great tips Zac! Thank you!

[@ZacHiggins]

Awesome!! That will look wicked!!

[@1tera285]

Thank you, I've been playing around with these colors and have made so many fails. I have been playing around with resin and dichonic films with some really cool results :-) Love your videos, Thank you for sharing your knowledge and time, it's greatly appreciated

[@fredrowilson7659]

Great work!

[@pamcolechadwell1302]

WOW, That's gorgeous, Thank you

[@stephenkrall7609]

Very cool....I really like that look. Love the black as well, it gave it a bit of a splated wood look.

[@ZacHiggins]

Yeah, it does look like spalting lines, didn't think of that before!

[@afoust781]

The one with the black is amazing! You did beautifully! 💖

[@ZacHiggins]

Thanks Amy!!

[@alanmullock381]

Beautiful blanks Zac,I'll have to have a practice with this! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@ZacHiggins]

Thanks Alan!! I hope you do, let me know how it goes!!

[@MileyonDisney]

Really cool effect! Thanks for sharing.

[@michaelhibbert4393]

Just cast some today Zac....in pressure pot now......love the ones with the black vein too....

[@marumisu9560]

That looks amazing.

[@jenniferlang1393]

Wow!! I'm thinking small projects, being a beginner. I fancy trying bookmarks and pendulums in opal/abalone. The black you added made it even more beautiful!!

[@dawnr714]

Omg, this is amazing!!!

[@melissaphillis7247]

Yes! I was going to say a swirl of black would pop this, and voila! You had done it! First time watching you, very clever!

[@LorieWitt]

The ones with the black are so cool

[@brianbower30]

First time watcher, cool show loved it

[@YukonJack]

Your original cast was attractive and I'm sure it would accent some projects nicely. I will say though, the last one you showed with the black makes it go from good to great. That contrast makes everything pop in such a bold but elegant way. Nicely done 👍

[@ElisaGPerez]

Absolutely beautiful, thank you so much for sharing.

[@ZacHiggins]

Thanks Elisa 😀

[@bobbysmith8095]

wow these color look awesome, thanks for the video

[@ZacHiggins]

Thanks Bobby! Hope you can use it in a project =D

[@JordanWoodwerx]

Looks awesome Zac, blanks came out really good, thanks man!

[@ZacHiggins]

Thanks Jordan!!

[@pattizimmerman7026]

This gave me lots of ideas!

[@ZacHiggins]

Awesome!! that's always my hope! Have fun bringing those ideas to life 😀

[@wendygray8725]

Love it. Getting some of that powder today

[@shannonpeterson4891]

Beautiful!

[@dianazaalberg1993]

AWESOME! I bet I can do some cool looking Aurora borealis cabochons with this technique. Tried to figure out how to do that for a quite long time now. Thanks a bunch 😘👍

[@creolepie]

It’s beautiful

[@srichmond32111]

I cannot thank you enough for this video! I have SO many ideas! Ill be making my disabled mother a opal lap tray as a gift for xmas foremost. Thanks again!

[@lorrainewilliams7896]

OMG I would love to see that when you are done.

[@rakka8257]

My daughters birthstone is opal, I’m going to try and make her some special things with this technique! Thank you for making and sharing!!! 😃

[@chandarussell]

Those would be beautiful after being all polished up. The ones with the black in it look like the pau shell jewellery I picked up in New Zealand. It’s gorgeous.

[@tdkrei]

Hi Zac. Boy you got close to capturing the real Opal. I am a retired Manufacturing jeweler and have set many Opals. I might suggest after watching you in your great artistic talents maybe add a little very small white flake and a littler less interference for a different look. Some common Opal is slightly transparent. Thanks for all you hard work.

[@ZacHiggins]

Thanks for the ideas Terry!! I'll have to give those a shot and see how it works =D

[@tanyacollins9003]

Tdkrei or maybe a swirl of clear would do it

[@qct-ironladybeasley8258]

Love this will use it on table tops and carved jewelry

[@falloutdiva]

The black one is amazing and it be amazing in a river table

[@suegore5929]

OOOH the black addition!!!!!!!

[@ferrosjewellers4558]

Perfect for fishing lures

[@rbfour5]

Definitely sparked a thought to make Faux MOP banjo tuner buttons. I will let you know how it turns out!

[@ZacHiggins]

Yes!! That would be awesome!! I can't wait to hear how it goes =D

[@barbaranyback1398]

Awesome very informative. Thank you

[@tedspens]

They look great! I have to get me some of that interference powder. Thanks for the video!

[@ZacHiggins]

Thanks Ted! Can't wait to see what you make =D

[@tattoo21]

That was what I was looking for thanks

[@williamhart4896]

That interference powder with the black resin looks good ,thanks for the upload

[@ZacHiggins]

Hope you have fun with it =D

[@MindToMade]

They looked pretty sweet! i will have to try this on one of my future projects 👏

[@ZacHiggins]

Nice!! Any projects in mind that you would like to use it on?

[@MindToMade]

@@ZacHiggins probably a ring

[@Angel-rq3pi]

I use the exact same powders in my Dr. Martin's inks....fountain pens, dip pens, quills, etc. Also works well in water colours.

[@jerryc6147]

That's awesome. Exactly what I was looking for. I wanted to do mother of pearl inlays in my home made pool table. Now I can just chisel the diamonds about 3/16" deep and pour your recipe right into the cavities. With this information, I may just do some abalone mix inlay around the table perimeter like the fretboard inlays on my guitar. Thanks for sharing.

[@Pashanny824]

Wow! Awesome.

[@diydarkmatter]

very cool zac . resin sure is fun to play with .

[@ZacHiggins]

That's for sure!! Hope this technique sparks some cool ideas for you, got any projects in mind?

[@imlistening1137]

Really pretty!

[@ArtistWizardry]

Yeah, that's totally awesome!

[@jerichojoe307]

Has been talking about doing a project for my wife lately. She has asked me to produce a custom home theater speaker set. I've been dabbling with the idea of coating the sheet of wood that I make the boxes out of in epoxy and doing a stone effect, but then I seen this. Initially my wife stated that she wanted a white marble effect on the speakers, but having seen this and knowing how much she loves mother-of-pearl you've just enabled me to surprise my wife thank you.

[@monicasickels7741]

~~AWESOME~~ I would love my counter tops to look like or maybe a back splash? Very Pretty Stuff!!!

[@dubamakersworkshop2049]

Oh man! I’m immediately thinking of inside resin liners on my rings in this style, with darker woods for a really beautiful contrast effect... I also want to experiment with darker or black pearl like colors to flip the idea! 🤔

[@ZacHiggins]

Nice!! That'll look so cool on rings!!

[@babujaan18]

Hello from mumbai india. Just saw this video and made myself a resin clock. It looks great-cant wait to unmold and see other side. Thank you🙏

[@HoneebunnySapphire]

Oh dang, the ones with the black streaks are exceptionally gorgeous! Thanks for sharing this!

[@tonysmith3143]

Zac you are my hero. Thanks Buddy

[@ZacHiggins]

Woohoo!! I don't think anyone's ever said that to me before, this is awesome!!! =D

[@eggyboi1217]

I’ll definitely use this to make custom plugs and tunnels for my ears!

[@AvaLiveLife]

Oh damn, I thought you’d show the show the whole process! Oh well, back to my other powders and resin video!

[@babysaho9576]

Beautiful

[@Hiko_shi]

This is great! Im planning on making my own inlays for the guitar im building as i cant get the specific colors and effects that i want

[@AnMuiren]

Thanks, I was looking for tips on creating this effect for cast in place, subtle, organic shaped guitar fretboard position markings.

[@carolineito9312]

That is perfect!!!!!!!!!

[@ellenmac5406]

I would like to know how the black was added to give such fine lines. Fabulous video!!

[@TEMENSATUKOST]

cool idea, thanks man

[@narantsetsegganbaatar690]

so cool thank you so much

[@LWJCarroll]

Good grief the black one looks like our paua shell here in NZ (Abalone) really interesting...thanks Laurie

[@ZacHiggins]

I was blown away when I tried the black in there, worked better than I could have ever expected =D

[@calissaobviouslycannotdeci7419]

Those are stunning! I wonder how it would look on tumblers. I'm new to resin and found this very interesting and really love the black in it! Thanks for sharing!

[@ZacHiggins]

I think it would be awesome on tumblers, especially with the black =D

[@calissaobviouslycannotdeci7419]

Zac Higgins I’m having trouble deciding on colors and wish I could find a pack that had different colors as a sampler! I really love the effect... 💋💋

[@stephaniehastings4418]

Super cool

[@secretflower]

Amazing 🤩

[@bellashealingartistry8934]

Yes it definitely sparked my ideas! Thinking for jewelry! New subbie here! 🙏

[@angelabarton2551]

Would be great with the black in it as a bowl or other type of object,looks really cool.