Real Fruit, Vegetable and Flower Resin Jewelry by NALANStudio | Freeze Drying vs Dehydrating
You can see why her fans love her work in this niche market. Her real fruit and flower – sometimes both combined in a single design – still retains much of the vibrant color and shape of the original organic material. She uses the freeze drying technique rather than silica gel.
Yuki also works without frames or molds. Sometimes she uses the whole flower. I was impressed with her dainty real orchid, rose bud and bellflower earrings. These are very fragile after drying and coating with resin is not easy. Just lovely work!
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| Bell flower resin earrings |
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| Blood Orange earrings |
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| Real Cherry Tomato Earrings |
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| Real dragonfruit earrings |
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| Real Lemon and Flower Earrings |
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| Real orchid earrings |
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| Real pansy flower earrings |
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| Real strawberry earrings |
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| Real pansy flower earrings |
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| Real rose earrings |
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| Real starfruit earrings |
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| Real cucumber earrings |
Freeze Drying vs Dehydrating
Real organic material like flowers and sliced fruit have to be thoroughly dried before being embedded into resin. Any moisture left will result in the material rotting inside the resin.
The most common and equipment-free method of real flower resin jewelry making is with silica or by the traditional pressing and drying (faster with a microwave). The drying is not instant so there is the loss of some color and shape distortion.
The other two methods require equipment which can be very costly especially for freeze dryers. Dehydrators which are used for drying food use low heat and may affect shape and color.
Freeze drying is very fast as the material is quickly frozen and placed in vacuum – the form and taste of freeze dried food, which is often rehydrated, remains the same as the original. This method of preservation is commonly used for military rations, astronauts and hikers!
Freeze drying also makes the material very brittle so that is why resin is used to coat and protect freeze dried flowers, fruits and vegetables if they are to be used in jewelry.
Before You Go :
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