How to Clean and Care for Resin Jewellery

Very few materials are as versatile in jewellery making as resin as it’s used to make beads, pendants, charms, earrings, brooches, and more. There are many different processes involved in making resin jewellery, and as a result of that the finished products vary greatly in appearance. A quick Internet search for resin jewellery will reveal suspended colour resin, resin pieces with dried flowers, glitter, metals, or plastic objects inside, and a bevy of other types. Because of its versatility and durability, resin jewellery is quite popular. However, it still needs to be tended to like any other kind of jewellery in order to ensure its longevity. 

Avoid Everyday, Around the Clock Wear

One of the main points of caring for resin jewellery is to not wear it if you work every day with your hands or have a physical job. While resin is quite resilient, the toll of regular wear and tear can manifest as a build up of scratches on the resin surface. This will lead to the jewellery looking scuffed and aged. To avoid this, don’t wear the jewellery while you are sleeping, exercising, or doing other kinds of physical labour that might damage the resin. 

Avoid Heat, Water, and Harsh Chemicals

Wearing your jewellery while showering, taking a bath, or swimming might seem like no big deal but unfortunately, submersion in water can have a negative effect on resin pieces, including the metal fasteners, chains, or posts it is attached to. Always take off your jewellery before getting into water in order to keep it looking good for longer. 

Another thing to consider about caring for resin jewellery is that being around extreme heat can lead to your resin fading or yellowing. Because resin is a plastic with a melting point lower than that of metal, exposure to a flame, even if brief, can irrevocably damage the jewellery. The same goes for leaving your jewellery out in the sun. While minor heat won’t physically damage it, the UV rays can fade or yellow the colour of the resin as well as anything that is suspended inside.

Harsh chemicals, such as cleaning products, hairspray, acetone, and even perfume can be damaging to resin jewellery. The obvious way to avoid this kind of damage is simply put your jewellery on after you are done applying perfume and hairspray, and to not wear it all while you are using any kind of cleaning chemicals. 

The Best Cleaning Methods for Resin Jewellery

When it comes to resin jewellery, resin earrings are the ones that will require the most cleaning. For the most part, upkeep for resin jewellery is just removing the tarnish on the metal as the resin itself stays fairly clean. Exposure to oxygen and water will tarnish any kind of metal, and some metals are a lot easier to clean than others, such as sterling silver or solid gold. Jewellery made from these metals also tends to last longer.

Cleaning resin jewellery is a fairly simple process. You only need warm water, mild dish soap, and a soft abrasive cloth to remove the tarnish from the metal components. If the piece of jewellery you are cleaning has a delicate chain, a toothbrush can come in handy for tarnish removal. This may seem counter-intuitive as we mentioned above not to submerge your resin piece in water, but for brief periods like this it is fine. 

Resilient and Beautiful

As hard as resin is, you still need to take care of your resin jewellery to preserve its shape, clarity, and colours. By following the tips above you will be ensuring the longevity of your resin jewellery so that you can still keep wearing it for years to come.