How to seal real butterfly wings for jewelry?

LOVE butterflys... ok, say you have a beautiful wing you found in your backyard... like me. Back to the original question... I haven't tried it but I think I would spray it very lightly with a fixative like they use for chalk drawings. Spray on a couple of layers letting each one dry in between coats. Then I would seal it with a varnish or other medium. Then I would resin it. The fixative might prevent smudging the color off. The varnish would seal the wing from touching and being ruined from the resin. Again, I haven't tried it but that's how I would go about it.

What if you went to a local nursery or butterfly farm to see if they can collect or you can hunt for deceased butterflys... they may not be as pretty but you would be guilt free.

Hope this helps... and good luck.

Posted at 2:00pm May 4, 2009 EDT

I would try resin

Posted at 2:02pm May 4, 2009 EDT

OP, you could try using a resin or use a spray polyurethane sealant. I'm not sure which would work better.

Or, you could just purchase one from the gal here on Etsy who sells them. She seems to have the technique mastered!

Posted at 2:21pm May 4, 2009 EDT

okay- i need to step in.
i make butterfly wing jewelry and i get mine from a place that raises butterflies for conservation purposes only. they are raised for public awareness, education and enjoyment and once they live out their 1-2 weeks lives, they are collected and i use them in my work.

The wings I use were never harmed. They are 100% NOT raised to be sold. They are raised for conservation. Also, because of this, its really hard for me to find pristine perfect wings and hard for me to get a lot of exotic colors and choices. I would love to use more kinds, but I do research first to ensure that they are living a natural life and enable me to provide a safe and happy sourced butterfly.
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BlueKittyMiniatures says:
That is where trade secrets come into play.
Posted at 8:25 pm, May 3 2009 EST

yep, i have my own secrets, and prefer to not share just because i have my own small business doing what i do and have tried a million methods to get my work to where it is, so i have to keep mum about HOW i make things.

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urbanwoodswalker says:
Are you kidding? They are growing butterflies just to kill them for their wings? Just as they emerge?

Do you know that Monarch butterflies are decreasing in population due to cutting down rain forests for agriculture?

Ack. This is like buying a fur coat. At least to me.

So sad. I would rather see the butter fly wings on a butterfly. :-)
Posted at 7:59 am, May 4 2009 EST




YES- unfortunately there are places that raise butterflies JUST to let them live out their short lifespan
and then sell them.
thats terrible, horrible and yucky.
HOWEVER, there are also Conservation places that raise butterflies to preserve the population that you mentioned (say, monarchs for instance). The butterfly has such a short lifespan that we need these conservation groups to keep them populating. Once these butterflies die naturally, they have wings left. These people sometimes sell them, sometimes they compost them.
Wings last for a very long time, and a lot of butterflies keep their color for hundreds of years if left untouched. This is why there is butterfly jewelry sealed under glass that is a hundred+ years old.

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BlueKittyMiniatures says:
MBOI says:
When I was checking around before, a lot of the butterfly farms allow their butterflies to live their full life span and collect the wings when they die naturally.

........................

Honestly this is a myth, someone else posted about this a short while ago, they acually were told at a butterfly farm that it doesn't happen.

Have you seen a butterfly that has been flying around for a little while?

The wings are never pristine, just as with any creature as it ages it loses that fresh perfection.

Wings are fragile, the colour is provided by tiny scales, if you aren't careful when you pick up a butterfly you will see some of these scales on your fingers.

There are always hundreds more raised from caterpillars than are needed for butterfly farms and the surplus are culled off. This isn't a good selling point though.

It used to be fashionable to use wings to make pictures mosaic style.

Its quite possible that in some countries butterflies are bred purely for this market. Despite the popularity of butterfly farms I doubt whether even if their dead stock was in good enough condition after a natural life span that there would be anywhere near enough to provide the market.
Posted at 10:20 am, May 4 2009 EST - Report this post




AGAIN, there are some true points to this, like i said earlier, there ARE some countries that raise them just to live out their life and then sell them. People need to be aware of both origins. Its true that sometimes the wings look pretty worn out if they have fluttered around a while.
This is why I have a hard time offering some colors sometimes.
Yes, SOME butterfly wings are made of microscopic scales. The blue ones are a good example. There are also a hundred kinds that dont have this powder like substance, and keep their color longer when handled. Ive learned by touching them.
So it IS possible to have an unfettered wing, that has lived out a natural life. A happy butterfly doesnt always have to look like it was playing rugby.

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AND FINALLY, I totally understand and respect everyones preference for or against anything. No one has to like fur, or meat, or feathers or vegetables, or preservation. Its up to you.
But I wanted to clear up some things that I was reading that is incorrect, and acknowledge some things that are true. Being educated about a process or product is the best way to make your own decisions.

Please respect my work and understand that I love animals and do this so that everyone can enjoy something that is beautiful both during its life and after.

Posted at 2:35pm May 4, 2009 EDT

blerk. i don't know if there are places that raise butterflies just to snip their wings off the minute they come out of their cocoon or not; but I DO know I've kinda lost my appetite. Just the idea seems EXTRA wrong.

Posted at 2:41pm May 4, 2009 EDT

junquegrrl, please read my post above. thanks

Posted at 2:42pm May 4, 2009 EDT

It's a bug.

Posted at 2:44pm May 4, 2009 EDT

IngridsCreations says:
I would never, ever buy anything made from real fur or buttefly wings! That is horrible!!!!!
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Me either.

Posted at 2:47pm May 4, 2009 EDT

thank you so much for all the info, PopKo.

would it be likely then, that jewelry made with blue wings may be butterflies from the not-so-nice farms instead of Conservation places?

Posted at 3:12pm May 4, 2009 EDT

I guess there is no definite answer to this actually..

Posted at 3:17pm May 4, 2009 EDT