Heart Trio Earring & Pendant Jewelry Mold

Pros : I tried this mold originally with Primo Primer, and the cast pieces did not fuse properly (they had little spikes at the top where the frit settled). After consulting Delphi, I switched to using MR-97 and the pieces turned out beautifully smooth and popped out of the mold easily. I would certainly recommend using MR-97 as the release for this mold even though it costs a good deal more than Primo Primer. The hole in the mold is the perfect size to hang the cast pieces, and cords and thin chain easily fit through it.

Cons : The cast pieces are not particularly heart-shaped (the indent at the top of the hearts is not pronounced enough), which is a disappointment. Also, the "earring" sized cast pieces far too heavy to be worn as earrings, and I personally found the pendant sized cast piece a bit large to wear on a necklace as well (I would certainly call it statement jewelry). Having said that, the earrings made nice pendants and the pendant made a nice ornament to hang in a window.

Other Thoughts : If you are considering using a mold which will make holes, I recommend Delphi's Simple Round Beads Mold instead- it casts 6 pieces instead of 3, and I consider all of the pieces it casts to be wearable sizes for pendants.

Pros : I have used other small casting molds with little to no success. I purchased this one when I saw the sample of the finished product and thought I would give casting molds another try. Man I am glad that I did. I replicated the red heart seen on this site, and wow, it really did turn out.

Cons : The earring are a little large, so I simply market them as smaller pendants.

Other Thoughts : I originally purchased small casting molds for my son to craft with me. Finally I am having some success. I was originally using frit, however with this mold I used small glass chunks that I cut and this seemed to work better for me. Still need to practice, but Love this mold with the spray release.

Pros : I like using these for scrap. I get all kinds of different effects combining dichro scrap and frit. I get a lot of compliments on them.

Cons : As with any mold, you have really coat these well with primer. I often use a small badger spray gun to spray the primer solution or just use a Hake brush. The first time I use any mold, I put at least 4 to 5 coats (dry between each) then put in the kiln for 20-30 minutes to ensure it is completely dry before using. No sense taking chances. I also give at least one coat between firings even though it isn't always necessary. Even with all that primer, if the mold is full of glass (I sometimes fire multiple times adding glass each time to make a thick pendant) the nature of the glass will make the pendant seem to "stick" to the sides. A few very light taps will loosen the glass and it will pop right out.

Other Thoughts : I don't use the small ones for earrings... I actually use them as small necklace pendants.