My cat Loki has developed gingovostomatitis, an autoimmune disorder, so I created a sigil to help manage the condition, and included that sigil in a small UV-resin pendant that I intended to have him wear. Unfortunately, he panicked about the collar and pendant, so after about 12 hours of him not calming down, I removed both. The collar is now on my altar, and the resin sigil jewelry is on my purse where I can continue to imbue it with magical intent.

Some Quick Notes About UV Resin, Witchcraft, and Magic

I am intending to make another pendant for Loki and include one of his shed whiskers in it. I was disappointed when I finished this pendant, and then remembered that I had shed whiskers saved specifically for this kind of magic. When making resin jewelry for magical purposes, it is appropriate to include magical components in the resin. Just about anything can be dropped into the resin and will be preserved there. Herbs and flowers, for example, are very common in non-magical resin jewelry.

This is a non-biodegradable and non-recyclable form of art. Depending upon what you are hoping to accomplish or create, that can be a wonderful thing, but it does impact the magic. Resin is most appropriate for magic that is intended to work in perpetuity, or which can be re-dedicated to a new focus when the first is done. It is true that my cat will not live forever, and thus he will not need the sigil forever, but I do want this magic to be solid and steadfast for his entire life. Once he passes, it can become just a pretty trinket, it can be re-dedicated to another individual with the same condition, or it can be kept as a memento of him. This is no different than any other piece of enchanted jewelry made from more traditional non-biodegradable materials like stone or metal.

UV resin does have some very interesting magical properties, which I look forward to exploring in more detail as I make more pieces. The most marked property was a vibrant affinity for solar energy. The UV resin can be cured under a UV lamp, or it can be cured under sunlight. The intensity of sunlight dictates the cure time, but even on an overcast day or in the shade it will cure given enough time. By making this pendant on the full moon, utilizing the energies of that part of the moon cycle, and also curing it in sunlight, the pendant absorbed lunar and solar energies in balance, giving it a powerful influence in both shadow and illuminated energies.

The energy of the resin is also impacted by the fact that it is fluid while working, sets only when you specifically create the right circumstances, and then becomes completely solid. This makes for very interesting properties when including elemental correspondences. The working state is very heavy with water energy, it is cured and transformed with fire energy (solar light, be it natural or artificially created), and once solid is very heavy with earth energy.

It also works in layers. It is malleable and easily receptive to magical work and dedication while the process of creating each layer is happening. It is incredibly easy to layer intentions (allowing for focus on particular aspects of the spell at each layer to create a multi-faceted final product), and once fully set and dedicated the magic becomes very firm, stable, and integrated.

Resin material can always be added to resin material, so if at some point in the future you want to alter the magic, an existing resin piece can be expanded upon or included as a component in a larger resin piece. This creates an energy of potential growth or expansion, even though the established parts are set and difficult to alter.

The Gingovostomatitis Management Sigil

Loki was diagnosed with gingovostomatitis (an autoimmune disorder where the body overreacts to the presence of tartar in the mouth, and so his teeth have been removed). Since this is an autoimmune condition he will have for the rest of his life, I immediately created the Gingivostomatitis Management Sigil to help manage it, in addition to scheduling for his teeth to be removed. The prognosis is very good for cats who have their teeth removed, because that eliminates almost all tartar from the mouth, and once it heals he should have a perfectly normal life other than being extra drooly.

In utilizing magic and doing all possible medical care, I hope to prevent any further flare-ups, which are very painful and were preventing him from eating a normal amount of food. He still has his canines after the first surgery, because with cats there is a significant risk of breaking the jaw if the canines are removed at the same time as the rest of his teeth. If he does continue to get flare-ups, the canines will also need to be removed at a later date. The magic will be particularly helpful in putting off a second surgery, or in the best case, avoiding it altogether.

Gathering the Materials

I was not actually intending on UV-resin when I went to the craft store. I knew I wanted to make Loki a sigil pendant, and that I had none of the needed supplies, so I went and had a look at what was available. I had been intrigued by UV-resin, and the supplies were far less expensive than I expected for a minimal setup, so that was what was purchased.

If I was bothering to get the setup, I planned to make at least a few pieces, but I was not sure how many I would end up making. Keeping that in mind, I bought what specialized supplies I absolutely needed, and made due with disposable supplies for the rest. After finishing this pendant, I did go online and order additional supplies that are made from silicon, so I can be less wasteful when making pieces in the future.

Purchased from the craft store:

• UV-resin
• a small silicon mat (UV-resin does not stick to silicon, but it does stick to just about everything else)
• small, round, open back bezels
• some silicon molds (for other pieces)
• UV-resin tape (for the back of the open bezel while working)
• UV-resin tints (did not use those on this piece)
• various glitters

Disposable and repurposed supplies I used (or intended to use) on this project:

• cotton rounds
• paper plate
• bamboo nail polish tool
• UV-lamp for gel nail polish (which was unexpectedly dead, so I used natural sunlight instead)
• toothpicks
• parchment paper (for a larger surface that could catch errant resin)
• latex gloves (which were too large and cumbersome, so I took them off)

Drawing supplies used on this project:

• dip pen with Hunt 108 croquill nib
• silver acrylic ink

Additional supplies I have since obtained:

• silicon mixing cups of various sizes
• silicon-coated stir sticks
• a much larger silicon mat
• additional molds and bezels

Making the Pendant

I videoed the process of making the pendant, edited it into a short video, and have uploaded it to YouTube. Because I was taking video, I forgot to take photos along the way like I used to in the past, so I had to learn how to pull still images from a video file. Additional descriptions far beyond the overlay text in the video may be found below.

Setting up my work area

I pulled blackout curtains in the room where I would be working to cut all possible natural light. Normally I love natural light when making art, but natural light will cure the UV-resin. I needed complete control over when the resin did and did not set, so artificial lights were a necessity.

I set down a piece of parchment paper (I cheaply obtained a stockpile at a restaurant supply store years ago) to catch any errant resin or glitter, put the silicon mat in the center of that, lit a candle on my altar, and lit a long-burning incense on the edge of my active work area. You can barely see the incense holder in part of the video. I use incense a lot in my magic. It permeates the area, even where I cannot see the smoke, creating sacred space and empowering everything I work with.

I arranged all the other tools and materials around my work area, so they would be convenient when I was ready for them.

Seal the back of the bezel

The very first step was to attach the UV-resin tape to the back of the open bezel. This specialty tape is designed to stick to the bezel, but not the resin. Unfortunately, I did not create a perfect seal, and a tiny amount of resin seeped out in the back, so it is slightly rough on the back of the bezel. If I am feeling ambitious, I can sand off that roughness later.

I lightly dabbed the tape outside the bezel with a cotton round. Just enough cotton stuck to the tape to make it no longer sticky, allowing me to use the tape to handle the pendant without touching the bezel (and potentially the resin inside).

First layer

For the first layer, I mixed some fine purple glitter with UV-resin, and then smoothed that into a thin layer that would provide the backdrop for the sigil. I chose purple because I associate it with calmness, compassion, and wellbeing.

I had on hand disposable bamboo tools for pushing back the cuticles when doing nail polish. I used that to mix the resin, put it in the bezel, and make sure it was coating evenly around all edges. It worked better for this purpose than I expected, and I highly recommend it as a cheap, disposable, and easily renewable tool for doing this. I plan to use the silicon coated UV-resin-specific tool next time, and will be sure to note how it compares with the bamboo tool for doing nails.

I then attempted to place four black paw-shaped glitter pieces directly onto the top of that layer while it was still liquid, but they sank partially in and were crooked, so I fished them out and went to cure the first layer using a UV-lamp I already had for doing gel nail polish. That was when I discovered the lamp was dead, so I took the pendant outside and let it cure in direct sunlight. Honestly, natural sunlight was better for the magic, and worked great.

A UV-lamp is, however, very convenient, because it will allow for working even at night or when the weather is uncooperative. I would love to say that it would help when I am low on spoons, but the honest truth is that when I am low on spoons, I cannot work on UV-resin pieces, or other art, at all. It could, however, potentially reduce the spoon cost of making each piece, by eliminating the need to carry the piece back and forth between the working area and a brightly sunlit area, especially when the magical impact of direct sunlight is not necessary.

Second Layer

For the second layer I put down a very thin layer of clear UV-resin and then manually placed four paw-shaped glitter pieces into it. In order to get them completely coated and make sure the surface was smooth, I had to add a little more resin before curing.

The black paws ended up sitting directly on the dark purple glitter, and are nearly invisible against it. What I should have done to create more depth and make them more visible, was to cure a thin layer of clear resin, then do a third layer with the paws. This would have caused them to float, making them easier to see, if still subtle.

Third Layer

This was the sigil layer. Since this was my first time making resin jewelry, I did not know exactly what depth was necessary on the layers to get a good floating effect. I think it would have worked better had the clear resin beneath the sigil been about twice as thick.

I did have tremors in my hand that day, so I was nervous about how the sigil would turn out hand-drawn, but like I write on every sigil post, artistic perfection is not important for the magic to work. I do hold myself to a very high standard, but that is entirely due to what I know I have been capable of in the past, even at very small size, using exactly the tools I used to draw this sigil.

I broke out with my dip pen drawing supplies, using a croquill nib and silver acrylic ink to draw the sigil. I accidentally drew the pentagram slightly off-center from the bezel loop, and didn’t realize until I was done with the drawing.

I plan to experiment with other ways to get a sigil into resin with greater precision, including printing, but in this case the magic worked best if I hand-drew it.

When I looked up info online, acrylic paint was highly recommended for painting on resin. Acrylic inks are very similar, just less viscous so they will work with pen nibs. Brushes and traditional acrylic paints are an easy alternative, especially on a larger piece, if you are not comfortable with dip pens. On future projects I will also experiment with different kinds of markers and pens to see what draws easily on UV-resin.

After the ink had dried, I filled up the bezel the rest of the way with clear UV-resin, enough that it had a rounded top. I did need to coax a large air bubble out of the resin on this layer. Advice online generally said that if you have air bubbles clinging to things you put in the resin, especially floral materials, it can be best to leave it sitting for a while to give the bubbles a chance to rise. Deliberately including bubbles may be a great way to seal in air energy.

Once the surface was smooth, I set it out for one final curing.

Some Final Notes

I finished the dedication later that night close to the peak of the full moon. Depending upon what you are trying to accomplish, the magic may be fully set when the resin piece is finished, it may need final dedication in a special ritual, or it may need regular re-dedication and recharging.

Since Loki was frightened by the pendant and collar (he had never worn either before), I had to take them off. I am of the opinion that most times things do not go quite to plan, so it is important to be flexible and able to adapt. The dedication was still valid, but instead of being charged by being on the recipient, it is now attached to my purse where I can personally take note of it and reinforce the magic whenever I go out.

This was my first go at UV-resin jewelry, but I do have extensive experience using a very wide array of mediums to create arts and crafts. Skills do often apply to multiple crafts, which gives me an advantage when trying yet another new medium. This pendant may be far from perfect as far as I am concerned, but it is also not bad. If your first attempt disappoints you, but you enjoyed the process, stick with it and you will develop the skills to make it look the way you want it to. Reliance on talent sets people up for failure, because first attempts are never what you want them to be. It is perseverance and the development of skills that allows any art form to turn out the way you intend.

The layers look thinner than they are once the piece is finished, so I need to use more resin on each layer if I want a floating effect. Thin layers will be ideal for creating a 3-D effect.

There is a lot of info online about how to make art using resin, most of it from people with far more expertise than myself, so please do not treat my experimentation as the be-all-end-all of what to do. I truly am a novice at this.

Don’t forget to enjoy the process, mistakes are a natural and inescapable part of making art of any kind, and blessings to you on your own magical jewelry journey!