Some nail techs find success in retailing hand-made jewelry made from nail products like acrylic. Kimberly Harr, a nail tech at La Nail Beautician in Everett, Pa., shows you how to make an acrylic ring:

RING FACE

 

1. Place three nail forms on a hard flat surface. Harr uses a square bowl that she turns upside down so it’s close to eye level.

 

2. Create the desired ring face shape by cutting other nail forms into strips, then shaping them. Place the shape on the surface with the original forms.

 

3. Fill the shape with acrylic. Be careful not to let the acrylic get too runny. Some will run under the strip, but once the initial layer is down, the acrylic won’t seep out. While the ring is drying, start on the band (instructions below).

 

4. Remove the strip from around the ring face. Use a file to smooth all surfaces.

 

5. Paint and/or embellish the face as desired. Let dry.

 

6. Turn the face over and place a large bead of acrylic on the back. Place the band in the bead, then push with your brush to help the acrylic come up the sides of the band.

 

7. Once the band is securely attached, embellish the inside and outside of the band as desired. Apply UV gel top coat over the band and the face.

 

RING BAND

Note: To size, wrap a form around the client’s knuckle, then use another form to keep it in place. If making a square band, use the circumference of the round form as a guide, then place each of the square’s four sides against the form, and file away as needed. (For a square band, make each side longer than needed so you have space to adjust.)

 

Square (shown): Place acrylic on a form, being careful to keep the thickness the same for all four sides. Use the same color of acrylic to hold the four sides together.

 

Round: Shape the nail forms into a circle and evenly apply acrylic all the way around the form.

 

Let dry, then push on the form so the band pops off. Use a file to smooth all surfaces.

Harr’s rings start at $10 (for just the band), and she’d charge $25 for this animal-print ring. This ring takes about three hours, and she generally takes the client’s order ahead of time so the ring is ready for pick-up at the client’s next appointment.

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