This is a medium difficulty tutorial showing you how to make an ashes beach scene necklace using a direct pour technique.
It is a lovely project for bereavement and cremation jewellery, especially if your client loves the sea, has memories by the beach, or wants something soft and natural looking. I have used a heart setting for this piece, but you can use the same method with any direct pour setting that has enough depth.
You might also like our Fur and Ash Heart Necklace Tutorial, which uses a similar direct pour technique.
Ashes Beach Scene Tutorial Video
What You Will Need
For this tutorial, I used one of our DIY ashes necklace kits.
The ashes and hair version of the kit includes:
A practice setting
Vinyl gloves
Resin sparkle mix set
A dust mask
Label backing paper
Some sandpaper
3 cocktail sticks
10g standard UV resin
preservation powder, optional if you are adding liquid inclusions
You will also need your client’s cremation ashes. I always ask clients to send only half a teaspoonful. That is more than enough for jewellery, and it means they can keep some back just in case anything is lost in the post.
We also sell wholesale sending kit supplies, including ashes sending pots.
You might also need:
A good UV lamp for professionals
Individual resin sparkle mix in aegean blue, mermaid teal, angelic aqua and unicorn white
Diamond file
200g bottle of Padico Star Drop
Magic silver polishing stick
Silver polishing cloth
Padico Star Drop Gloss UV Top Coat
Necklace chain
A little note on colours: you can use our ready mixed resin sparkle mixes, or you can experiment with things like eyeshadow for custom colours. Just make sure you test anything new before using it in a customer piece.
Before You Start
Direct pour settings can look beautiful, but they do need a bit of preparation.
One of the downsides of pouring resin directly into a setting is that it can be more prone to popping out if the setting is too smooth, too shallow, or overfilled. I will go through a few ways to help prevent that further down the blog.
For this tutorial, I am using a solid silver heart setting. This one was also engraved with a baby scan photo, which made it extra special.
Step 1: Prepare Your Setting
Put your heart setting on something you can hold easily. I use an upside down ramekin with a little bit of white tack.
First, scratch the inside of the bezel to create a key for the resin to grip onto. I like to scratch in three different directions, then go round in little circles.
Do not press too hard. If you push too firmly, you can dent the silver and those marks may show on the back.
Step 2: Add a Clear Base Layer
Cover the inside of the setting with a very thin layer of clear Padico Star Drop UV resin.
You do not need perfect coverage at this stage. The clear resin sticks better to the silver than coloured resin does, so this first layer gives you a good base to build on.
Cure for 60 seconds.
I started using Padico a few years ago because it is one of the most resistant resins I have found for yellowing, which is really important with keepsake and memorial jewellery.
Step 3: Prepare Your Colours
I like to use a little bit of tin foil as a palette.
For this beach scene, I used:
Aegean blue
Mermaid teal
Angelic aqua
Unicorn white
Cremation ashes
The colour mixes I sell are already mixed with Padico Star Drop in little black opaque pots. It saves so much time compared with mixing powders for every project.
A little goes a very long way. Please make sure your pots are never exposed to UV light, or they will cure inside the pot. Keep the lids on unless you are taking a small amount out.
Step 4: Build Your First Beach Layer
Add a small drop of clear resin into the bezel.
Then add blue at the top, teal underneath, aqua underneath that, and a tiny dab of cremation ashes at the bottom.
Gently swirl everything together, but do not overmix it. Beach scenes look best when the colours softly move into each other, rather than becoming one flat colour.
Work in thin layers. This means you can use brighter colours without worrying that the resin will not cure properly.
Cure for 60 seconds.
Step 5: Add More Depth
For the next layer, repeat the same idea, but work from the bottom upwards.
You can premix a little ashes with clear resin if you want the sandy area to be more visible. I wanted the ashes to look a little more like sand in this piece, so I made them slightly more noticeable.
These early layers do not need to be perfect. Think of them as texture and depth. They are almost like underpainting, so try not to fuss too much.
Cure again for 60 seconds.
Then repeat for a third colour layer and cure again.
Step 6: Add the Wave Detail
On one of my layers, I tried using white resin ink to create the foam of the waves. It looked pretty at first, but it quickly spread into an oily matte layer, so I removed it and started that layer again.
These things happen. Even when you have been doing this for years, not every idea works perfectly the first time.
For the next attempt, I covered the layer in clear resin, added a small amount of each colour, then added a few tiny dots of white where the waves meet the sandy shore.
Keep the white really subtle. You only need a few small dots to give the feeling of sea foam.
Give it a gentle swirl, add a little more ashes at the bottom if you want them to stand out more, then cure again.
Step 7: Keep Layering Slowly
Keep the total depth of the bezel cup in mind while you work.
For this piece, I did around eight layers altogether and the finished resin was about 4mm thick. Each layer was just over half a millimetre.
You can do fewer layers, but I find the effect is much nicer when you build it slowly. It gives the piece more depth and helps stop the resin getting too warm.
The last few layers are clear, which helps build the dome and gives a smooth finish.
Step 8: Dome the Top
Add a clear layer and bring it right up to the edges. At first, the top may look slightly dipped or concave. Cure it, then pick it up and inspect the edges.
It is normal to get a tiny bit of resin over the edge sometimes. You may be able to pick it away carefully with your fingernail, or very gently with a craft knife.
If there are scratches or little bits you cannot remove, use the green side of a magic polishing stick, then the white side.
Add another clear layer to dome the piece properly. Make sure the resin reaches the edges but does not pool over.
Look carefully for bubbles, lint or dust. Let it rest for a minute or two before curing so the micro bubbles have a chance to pop.
Step 9: Fix Any Imperfections
I have been teaching these techniques for over ten years, and I promise you, it still does not always go perfectly.
I am first and foremost a jeweller, so my workshop is never going to be a sterile lab. I keep things as clean as I can, but sometimes a tiny bit of dust or fluff will appear right where you do not want it.
If that happens, do not panic.
Let the resin cure, gently remove the imperfection with the green side of the magic polishing stick, then add a fresh top coat.
You can use Padico Star Drop UV resin for this, but if you have Padico Star Drop Gloss UV Top Coat, it is brilliant for filling tiny marks and giving a smooth final finish.
Spread it out carefully, check it again, let it rest for a minute, then cure three times.
Optional: Make a Matching Pocket Stone
If you have colour left over, you can use it to make your client a little extra piece, such as a pocket stone.
To make a beach scene in a mould, you are basically working backwards.
Start with a mostly clear layer and add a little colour, especially around the edges, so the stone is not see through when it is finished.
Give it a gentle swirl and cure. For a larger stone, I like to use the 99 second low heat setting so it does not get too hot.
On the next layer, you can be a little braver with the colour. I like to work downwards and then back up again, letting the colours blend how they want to.
Try not to chase perfection too much with beach scenes. The colours will move in their own way, and that organic look is part of what makes them beautiful.
I love the blue, teal, aqua, white and ashes combination, but you could also try a stormy sea, a tropical sea, or a softer pastel beach scene.
If you try your own version, tag us on Instagram or TikTok. I would love to see what you make.
Final Notes
At the end, I took a photo of the finished necklace to send to my client, but I left the pocket stone as a surprise.
I am incredibly grateful to her for giving me permission to share this tutorial anonymously. These pieces mean so much, and I never share client work without permission.
Thank you, as always, for watching and reading. Now relax and do some crafting.
Advanced: How to Help Stop Resin Popping Out
One of the downsides of pouring resin directly into a setting is that it can be prone to popping out if the setting is not prepared properly.
These are the things I recommend:
Choose a setting that is not too shallow
Use a setting with a slightly curved over edge where possible
Burr inside the setting if the walls are thick enough to create a small lip
Scratch the inside of the bezel to create a key
Add a clear resin base layer first
Do not overfill the setting
Do not let the resin mushroom over the edge
Give your clients clear care instructions
Remind clients to avoid knocks, heat changes and chemicals
Direct pour work is beautiful, but it does need care. Take your time, work in thin layers, and do not panic if you need to tidy something up along the way.