A nice set of metal earrings is a reasonable keep, but when you add some tint of gold or silver to it, it looks straight out of Harry Winston jewelry! Who wouldn’t want to make their ornaments pop and rock every party wearing them?
But, most of the times, when you use jewelry enamels, it ends up being tacky and starts peeling off real quick.
However, if you can pick the best enamel paint for jewelry:
- it will give the ornaments a unique and vibrant touch.
- it will offer a layer of protective coating.
- You can use it on multiple surfaces, which means tons of different pieces of jewelry and decorations.
Well, I guess you’ve been searching long for a good enamel paint to create your DIY jewelry. With our top picks and guidelines, I’m sure you’ll find all you need through this journey with us. Are you excited? Let’s roll.
Table of Contents
What Kind of Paint Do You Use On Jewelry?
1. Best Metal Jewelry Paint: Paint Pens Markers
“No odor with beautiful sheen”
2. Best Overall: Jacquard Lumiere Acrylic True Gold
“Outstanding pigmentation and excellent coverage”
3. Best Silver Paint for Jewelry: Chase Brilliant Finish Enamel Sterling
“Great finish and light-reflective”
4. Best Gold Paint for Jewelry: Testors Null 1144TT
“Affordable and works on any surface type”
5. Best Varnish: Liquitex Professional Gloss
“Wonderful gloss with no-yellowing”
What Is Enamel Jewelry Made of?
To make enamel jewelry, you need the base metal and a powder coating. When you have the ingredients at once, you need to fuse them in a sweltering heat. When you make enamel jewelry or to understand the process, there are a few things you need to keep in mind-
- Enamel is sensitive to extreme temperature, so being a novice, you’d probably fail at succeeding in enamel jewelry making.
- The increased temperature will make the pieces of jewelry transparent, and with paint addition, it will pop more.
- When you use color for enamel jewelry, it will not remain the same after the processing.
Best Enamel Paint for Metal Jewelry Reviews
1. Paint Pens Markers – Best Metal Jewelry Paint
Yes, you can easily find a nice jar of enamel paint, but what about the precise detailing? How about an enamel paint marker to rock your metal jewelry and crafts?
The pack of paint pens from Artistro comes with three gold and three silver paint markers. With fine tips of 0.7mm, you can master doing the most delicate details on your DIYs.
With its smooth and glossy finish, you’ll feel like shining everything with a metallic touch. It’s even non-toxic and doesn’t release a lousy odor. Hence, it’s safe to use anywhere!
If you have a more significant project in hand that needs a professional look, this might not be a perfect choice. However, it’s the best detail for detailing on any surface including, paper, plastic, fabric, wood, stone, metal, glass, etc. Who doesn’t want to have possession of a pack of enamel markers?
- Bright and vivid colors
- It does not release a foul odor
- Excellent for precision and detailing
- Very easy to use
- High pigmented colors
- Works great on different surfaces
- Ideal for both light and dark colored surfaces
- Probably not the best deal considering durability
2. Jacquard Products Lumiere Acrylic True Gold – Best Overall
The perfect gold enamel in a little jar is what we all want to own for fun DIYs. But finding the perfect shade isn’t always fun. That’s why you need the Jacquard Lumiere genuine gold. Why? Let’s see.
It’s hard to find the thick, shiny consistency of enamels as we desire. But this one offers the perfect texture and spreads like butter on metal. After the paint dries, the color doesn’t change either; it allows a sturdy and durable coat.
Talk about the pigmentation! It’s so shiny and pretty that once you apply it to your metal jewelries, they’ll look ten times better!
For some, this might be a little too thick to work with. But if you want excellent, then missing out on this one would be a loss. So grab the bottle of paint, a paint brush and shine your metal jewelries as you want!
- Beautiful pigmentation
- Easy to mix with other colors
- Opaque and bright
- Easy to work with
- Finesse and smoothness inconsistency
- Maximum coverage with one coating
- It has more of a bronze shade than genuine gold
3. Chase Brilliant Finish Enamel Sterling – Best Silver Paint for Jewelry
Brush enameling on a smooth metal surface only reveals uneven brush strokes. Not at all pleasant! Then how about the Chase silver spray enamel to restore the shiny look of your metal objects.
Silver has my heart, but if it doesn’t adhere to the surface evenly, then it’s a bummer! That’s why this sterling silver spray is a must-have, as it offers maximum adhesion, coverage, and even coats.
Using the spray isn’t a big deal either; it allows you to paint nicely, even those hard-to-reach spaces. Comparing with typical spray paints, this one offers excellent coverage in only two coats.
If you have trouble with the solid paint smell, you might not be big of a fan of this spray paint. But the light reflecting quality, along with the pretty sheen of silver, is worth it.
So, what’s holding you back from spraying your furniture, ornaments, picture frames, etc., with this majestic silver?
- Stunning silver finish
- Ideal for bathroom and kitchen fixtures
- Laudable smooth finish
- Offers great coverage
- Reflects light with a beautiful sheen
- User convenient usage
- It takes a long to dry
- It needs more coats to come to the expected result
4. Testors Null 1144TT – Best Gold Paint for Jewelry
Shine and gloss in enamel paints are pretty standard. But if you’d like to pick something out of the ordinary with a more elegant enamel shade, then the Testors Null 1144TT is a must to look at.
Though most enamel paints tend to wear off untimely, you can count on this one. What we found amusing about the color is how well pigmented it is. And despite the affordable price range, it offers the same sheen and bold shade on any surface types, paper, ceramic, fabric, resin, metal, etc.
Now, it might not be the best deal if you want to lessen your efforts with high coverage in a single coat of paint. But if you have time and a will to put some effort, you’d be speechless about what this paint can do!
Oh, and bonus! It doesn’t smell like chemicals everywhere. It’s time to spread some natural gold touch!
- Elegant and sophisticated shade of gold
- Durable paint
- High pigmentation
- You can get the combo pack at an affordable price
- Suitable for any crafts
- It doesn’t come with a foul odor
- More coats are needed for expected coverage
- Not ideal for bigger DIYs
5. Liquitex Professional Gloss Varnish
Not all of us are looking for traditional enamels that shine; some of us want transparent sheen as well. If you are one of us, you might love the Liquitex gloss varnish.
It doesn’t release any fumes, and it’s free from any toxicity. As it dries, it creates a durable yet flexible surface with a glossy finish to it.
You might wonder varnishing isn’t the best idea because of the yellowing. But trust me on this one, the transparent shiny finish doesn’t change even after a long. Plus point, it’s also water-resistant.
You can’t apply it with rollers, sponge, or any way you like; you need brushes. Otherwise, the finish won’t be up to the mark. Well, if you are looking for a long-lasting varnish with protective contents, then a little effort in the application is worth it. What do you say?
- It offers a glossy and hard surface
- It does not get yellow with time
- Non-toxic formula
- Water-resistant coats for premium quality
- Protects from harmful UV rays
- Suitable for both indoor and outdoor usage
- Cold may affect the smoothness of the varnish
How Do You Use Enamel Paint On Jewelry?
I’ll tell you a few ways of using enamel paint to create delicate pieces of jewelry-
1. Enamel and activator: You’ll need a beautiful shade of enamel paint and an enamel paint activator. Take a couple of drops of the activator and an equal amount of color. Mix them and wait till it reaches the right consistency. Now, using a detailing brush, you need to start your painting enamels project precisely. The full cure time will take about 1-3 days.
2. Enamel and glaze: Take your jewelry glaze to add some color and mix well. Then apply a thick layer of paint for total coverage. It will take between 1-2 days to dry completely.
3. Using enamel markers: Apart from using liquid paints, you can also use enamel paint markers. It doesn’t come with any hassle. Just grab your pen, shake it well, open the cap, and start stroking on the metal surface. You might need to give a few coats, but don’t worry, it will dry soon. Hey! Don’t forget to apply the gloss varnish after the paint.
Can You Paint Jewelry with Nail Polish?
If you didn’t know yet, you’d be happy to know that nail polish is also a kind of enamel paint. It dries super-fast, easy to use, present in every home, and the best part is you can find it in hundreds of shades!
Apart from all the advantages, the most concerning issue with painting your jewelry with nail polish is that it will come off soon. Nail polish isn’t a durable choice. However, if you can get your hands on quality nail polish, it might do your work just fine. Besides, to protect the polish, you can use another layer of varnish or transparent top-coat to finish off.
What type of Brush do you Need to Apply Jewelry Enamel Paint?
For intricate pieces of custom jewelry, it’s better to settle for smaller sized brushes. However, it all depends on your DIY project size and type. We appreciate using stiffer brush fibers because it makes the process easier and gives a smoother finish.
If you ask about the shape, I’d say square-tipped brushes are the ones you need to use when covering the whole jewelry surface. However, you’ll need a more refined and more pointed tip brush for detailing.
Buying Guide: How to Choose the Best Metal Jewelry Paint
Well, enhancing the beauty of your ornaments is the priority here, but if you want the beauty to persist, you need to go for high-quality, durable paint. How do you know if it is what you need? Check out the listed guidelines we’ve prepared and put them down just for your convenience.
Durability
If you don’t settle for durable and long-lasting paint, it’s more likely to wear off untimely. And after that, you go through all the trouble again! To avoid that, pick quality enamel paint that is made explicitly for metal surfaces.
The perfect shade
You’ll find a bunch of different shades, all named gold. Yes, there are varieties of a single golden hue when it comes to enamel paints. Some have a more copper tone to them, while some are more on the yellow side. The same differences are there in the case of silver enamels. So, before you buy the paint, observe if you have the perfect shade.
Flexibility
We all know, metals change their shape and size with temperature differences. So, when you are painting metal jewelry, make sure the paint is flexible and elastic enough to crack or peel off.
Protection
My personal favorite is enamel jewelry paints that are water-resistant, which means they won’t wash out. Some paints are even UV ray resistant so that the color will retain for a long.
Safety
When it’s about metal jewelry, you know it will come in contact with your skin. Hence, there’s no alternative to a non-toxic enamel paint that isn’t harmful to your skin or creates a terrible odor.
Drying action
Enamels usually take quite a long time to cure fully. You can go for a quick-drying choice. However, remember to give ample time to dry it; otherwise, you’ll smudge it, and all your efforts will go in vain.
Final Verdict
With elegant shades of enamel paint at hand, you have hundreds of possibilities in making unique crafts and pieces of jewelry. These gorgeous paints will only add to the beauty and durability if you settle on the best enamel paint for jewelry.
By this time, we know about the top paints, the answers to the questions wandering in your head constantly, the factors to keep in mind for picking the perfect enamel paint. So, what are you waiting for? Get it and turn your simple metal pieces of jewelry and crafts into works of art!