Faux Opals

Opals. They're so full of sparkle and depth. The range of colors is just amazing. Real opals are also fragile and crack easily if not cared for properly. I thought it would be fun to see if I could re-create that sparkle and depth with polymer. I found some ideas on the Internet, including an excellent tutorial from Donna Kato, and then launched some experiments of my own.

Part of the trick with making the opal "look" is creating the illusion of depth. Hurray for liquid polymers, translucents, and iridescent flakes! I'm doing some more playing with heat, color, and settings, and will be looking for other inclusion possibilities. I plan to be showing you those in the near future.