10 Steps in Making a Coquina Shell Resin Necklace

Ever wondered what goes into making a coquina shell resin necklace? Here’s a brief look at how I personally do it:

Intact coquina shell hiding in plan sight.

1. I go to the beach. Yup, love my job!

2. I try to stay focused on finding intact coquina shells, but I also try to remember to enjoy nature’s other offerings – I never know what I’ll see, or who’s watching me :-)

He seemed very interested in what I was finding!

3. I wash my shells thoroughly and carefully. The shells are fragile and too much scrubbing can break them; however, any bits of sand will inevitably find a way to show up in the worst possible place after I pour the resin.

4. I decide on the shape of the resin mold. The size of the shell may dictate this, and it’s better to make sure the shell fits in the mold BEFORE mixing the resin. Trust me on this!

5. I decide whether to use clear resin or colored resin. Clear allows both sides of the shell to be seen; whereas, only one side of the shell will be visible with colored resin.

Outside of the coquina shell.

Inside of the coquina shell.

6. I mix and pour resin. If I’m doing colored resin, I will have to do it in two separate pours: a colored layer as background, and a clear layer with the shell.

What do you think? Clear or colored resin for this shell?

7. WAIT for the resin to cure. The curing time depends on the type of resin used.

8. Once fully cured, if necessary, I drill a hole in resin to create a pendant.

9. I decide on the chain/necklace material. I typically use either colored nylon cord, stainless steel chain, or 14K gold-filled chain.

10. I attach the shell resin pendant to the chain/cord, and I’m ready to go!

Multiple coquina shells in a colored resin necklace.

Check out our website for our current supply of completed coquina shell resin necklaces.