When you think of plastic jewelry, do you envision kids' toys in a supermarket vending machine, or something chic and artistic? The answer may depend on your interest in collectible jewelry. While inexpensive children's jewelry and low-quality teen and adult jewelry often contain plastic, valuable vintage pieces made from early plastics like Bakelite, celluloid, and Lucite are highly sought after today.

Still, with the exception of polymer clay, plastics have not found widespread popularity in handcrafted jewelry making. The need for smelly chemicals, production safety concerns, and the difficulty of finding helpful learning resources have frightened away a lot of us.

In her book The Art of Resin Jewelry, artist, teacher, and author Sherri Haab demystifies the use of resin plastics in jewelry making. She explains and demonstrates how modern-day materials and supplies make it easier and more affordable to use plastics than in the past.

The first chapter of the book contains an introduction to resin, outlines important safety procedures, and provides an overview of how resin is used. It also describes the basic supplies and equipment you'll need to get started. I found that I have most of these in my home studio already, including the standard safety equipment Haab recommends.

The second chapter is a brief review of basic jewelry making methods, with a focus on techniques most useful for resin jewelry. (If you're an absolute beginner at jewelry making, I recommend picking up a more detailed beginner's book to help you get a handle on these.)

The following chapters contain numerous projects, categorized by the following methods: coating with resin (including faux-cloisonné and photo collage); casting with molds (you can buy them pre-made or make your own); and combining resin with polymer clay.

The photography is absolutely gorgeous throughout the book, making it a fun browse and an extra motivational read. The beautiful projects are stepped-out clearly and contain great big example pictures. They include pendants, bakelite-style charms and components, colorful mod bangles, and artsy beads. If all the projects don't appeal to you, at least some of them surely will. By focusing on those, you'll learn which supplies and techniques will work best for your personal jewelry style.

I was surprised to learn how doable resin work can be, and how many options there are for incorporating it into jewelry design. This book definitely inspired me to give resin a try, and I'll be keeping my copy in my permanent library. If you're drawn to plastic art jewelry but have been afraid to dabble in it until now, I think you'll find The Art of Resin Jewelry both helpful and inspiring.

Click here to view The Art of Resin Jewelry on Amazon

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Chris Franchetti Michaels is a writer and jewelry artisan specializing in beaded designs, wire work, and metal fabrication. She is the author of the books Teach Yourself Visually: Jewelry Making and Beading, Beading Quick Tips, and Wire Jewelry Quick Tips. Visit her website BeadJewelry.net for more jewelry-making help and inspiration.