Bendenla Jamir
Bendenla Jamir of Chuchuyimlang village started her business of crafting using resins in the year 2021. As a child, crafting with her hands was her favorite entertainment. However, it was only when she discovered the resin work on Instagram, she became curious and fascinated by it that she decided to give it a try and went online in order to know the basics.
“In the beginning, the resin was a way for me to have fun and express creativity. I didn’t have to worry about making money from my craft to support myself. Instead, it was a chance to learn a new artistic skill,” she said.
Being a self-taught resin artist, at first it was a struggle but as she got more adopted with resin, she began a productive art show and career selling resin jewelry.
“I didn’t have any intention to sell my resin crafts but friends were very impressed with my work so I decide to continue and open an online page known as crafting_aesthetics where I received a positive feedback from my first customer who really appreciated my hard work,” she recalled.
“While I was thrilled to have a business selling my resin art, there was one drawback. I had to focus on creating what others wanted and not necessarily what I wanted. When you create something for yourself, there isn’t the pressure of ‘will this sell?’ or ‘will the customer like it?’ While I’m grateful for the opportunities having a resin jewelry business provided me, I still love making epoxy art and crafts for me,” she shared.
Resin creations are extremely beautiful and are often characterized by items like dried flowers “preserved” in hard clear substance. It is a chemical compound that starts as a liquid and, when mixed correctly, hardens to create a shiny, waterproof, hard substance. Resin can be used to create striking jewelry, either on its own or with other decorative items layered or suspended within it.
“Resin items are very expensive so I couldn’t purchase all the basics, hence, I started with small things like making hair clips, key chains, comb and customize pet tags and phone case,” she said.
According to her, making resin jewelry is time consuming as the raw materials can be toxic. Resin is a chemical compound made up of two parts: part A, which is the resin, and part B, which is the hardener. Both parts are liquids, but they solidify when they’re mixed together.
There are different types of resin (epoxy resin, polyester resin, and UV resin) and the hardening process takes between 24 and 72 hours, depending on the type of resin. Once dry, resin is non-toxic, hard, shiny, and waterproof.
“Once you’ve mastered basics of resin jewellery making and how to use resin, you can get really creative with your designs. I am looking forward to include and create more products in less time and continue to meet demands in the future,” she concluded.