DIY: Nail Polish Jewelry

I'm always looking for fun new kinds of jewelry to experiment with and when I found this cool new technique I just had to share! I bought a bunch of jewelry making supplies online - mostly materials I'd never worked with that I couldn't find at my local craft stores. Among them were these clear glass flat-back beads with a magnifying effect. 

They remind me of those glass beads that everybody thought looked
SO classy in a vase with fake flowers in the 90s.

You can see the magnifying effect here.

Because of the magnified appearance, putting images or decoration behind/under the bead creates a cool look. I tried mine with some nail polish for a fun gemstone-esque look. Here's how you can do the same:

What You Need

Magnifying Bead & Bezel Pendant Kit 

(I bought mine online here, but I'm sure you can get them tons of other places)

Glitter Nail Polish

Color Nail Polish

Strong Glue (I used E-6000)

How To Do It

1. Paint your bead with your glitter polish until you reach your desired glittery-ness. Mine took 3 coats. Make sure to let it dry completely between each coat. I used Queen of Beauty from Sinful Colors.

2. Paint your second color over the glitter coat until it's opaque. Mine took 2 coats. I used Hazard from Sinful Colors.

3. When completely dry, apply a thin layer of glue over the entire back of the bead and press it into the necklace base (bezel) and press for 30 seconds. Let it dry upside down to avoid air bubbles.

I've also made some earrings with smaller beads and rings with larger ones. I'm thinking of making a million of these to wear and to add to my Etsy shop because they are so fun! Here are a few that I made without glitter, just capturing some especially shimmery and holographic polishes. 

Canadian Star from Nicole

Teal of Fortune from Wet n Wild

Fuchsia Rage from Nina Ultra Pro & Pacific Blue from Sally Hansen with Make U Smile from Nicole on top

They look even more sparkly in person and when they catch the light they're incredible - it's distracting having it on my hand! You could try this with paint too or other thin materials like confetti, printed images or pieces of maps or book pages. The magnifying effect makes whatever you add really shine!


xoxo,
Michelle