Faces of India – 360, The Girl Who Preserves Flowers in Resin

I met a young 3D artist who works magic with resin and real flowers, transforming them into the most exquisite earrings. It was at an exhibition for young entrepreneurs in Bangalore. She stood behind her display table, eyes bright with enthusiasm, ready to explain her craft of flowers in resin to anyone who paused long enough to look.

This week I have her for my Faces of India series.

Faces of India

Faces of India is a series through which I intend to portray the various characters of my country whom I met during my travels. I bring back souvenirs, frozen moments from my travels, why not some memories of people I have met and interacted during the travels. Faces of India is a weekly series in my blog since MARCH 2011. See more here…

Entrepreneur selling Flowers in resin

Flowers in Resin

Her table was a burst of color — rows of delicate ear danglers that seemed to hold tiny gardens within them. I picked up a pair with petite yellow blooms, perfectly preserved. The petals looked as if they had just been plucked, their color and shape untouched by time. A clear, glass-like layer of resin encased them, giving a luminous, glossy finish. They were elegant, almost ethereal.

Curious, I asked her how she managed to keep the flowers looking so fresh.

She smiled and began explaining the process, her voice calm but full of experience.

‘The first thing you need to remember,’ she said, ‘is to dry the flowers completely. That’s the most important step. You can use silica gel, air-drying, or even press them if you prefer. But silica gel works best if you want the colors to stay bright.’

I asked, ‘So you don’t use fresh flowers directly?’

‘No, never,’ she laughed softly. ‘If you do, they’ll lose color and might even rot inside the resin.’

She picked up an ear ring she made and continued, ‘Once they’re dry, arrange them in your mold. Think about how you want them to look in the final piece. I usually pour a thin base coat of resin first and let it cure — it helps the flowers stay in place when you pour the rest.’

‘Is mixing the resin tricky?’ I asked.

Nunmozhi Anbanandan – Young entrepreneur

You can see her collections at Unarvu_

‘Not really, as long as you follow the manufacturer’s instructions exactly,’ she replied. ‘Stir slowly to avoid bubbles, and pour gently over and around the flowers so every gap gets filled.’

She paused for a moment, ‘Then comes patience — you let it cure completely. Sometimes it needs to be done in layers, waiting for each to harden before the next. And once it’s all set,’ she smiled, ‘you’ll have a piece that preserves beauty forever — a moment captured in crystal. The entire process takes at least two weeks if not more.’

Her words lingered as I looked again at the tiny blossoms suspended in resin. They seemed to capture not just the beauty of a flower, but also the patience and precision of the artist herself. Resin jewelry, I realized, is more than a trend — it’s a quiet celebration of nature, permanence, and creativity.

Orchid preserved in Resin