Trends & Inspiration
It is a fair question, and one worth answering without flinching. A handcrafted resin tray can cost several times what a factory-made tray costs at a mall. A river table can cost as much as a good sofa. If you have ever hovered over a price and wondered, "why does poured plastic cost this much?" — this article is for you. The honest answer is that you are not really paying for poured plastic at all. You are paying for four things: materials that behave well for decades, hours of skilled hands-on work, time that cannot be compressed, and a design that exists exactly once. Let us take each apart.
Not all resin is the same product. Craft-grade epoxy formulated for art — with UV stabilisers, low yellowing, food-safe certification where needed, and predictable clarity — costs meaningfully more per litre than industrial coating resin. A studio committed to pieces that still look right in ten years pays that premium on every pour, along with quality pigments, genuine gold leaf rather than tinted foil, proper moulds, and finishing abrasives that go up to polishing grades.
Then there is wastage, which buyers rarely see. Resin is mixed in batches and begins curing the moment the hardener goes in. Whatever is not poured within its working window is lost. Colour tests, failed experiments, a pour that traps a stubborn air bubble in the wrong place — an honest studio absorbs all of it, and it shows up, fairly, in the price of the pieces that do make it out the door.
A "simple" pair of coasters is not one sitting of work. A typical piece passes through design discussion, mould preparation, colour mixing and testing, the pour itself, bubble removal, a curing wait, often a second or third layer (each with its own wait), demoulding, edge trimming, sanding through multiple grits, polishing, and quality checks. Larger work multiplies everything. A river table or resin-topped surface involves timber selection, flattening, sealing, multiple deep pours, and days of finishing before it ever meets a courier.
You are not paying for a thing that took time to make. You are paying for the years of practice that make it look like it didn't.
Resin cures on chemistry's schedule, not the maker's. Deep pours must be built up in layers, each needing 24 to 72 hours before the next, or the piece overheats, cracks or clouds. This is why serious studios quote lead times in weeks — and why a suspiciously fast turnaround is often a sign of shortcuts. We have written before about why this matters, and the step-by-step process makes the timeline transparent.
A factory tray divides its design cost across ten thousand identical units. A commissioned piece carries its entire design cost alone — the consultation, the sketches, the colour samples, the back-and-forth until it is right. That is not inefficiency; it is the whole point. The piece is built around your varmala, your photograph, your room's palette, your names. When people describe handcrafted work as expensive, they are usually comparing it to mass production, which is a bit like comparing a tailored sherwani to a ready rack piece. Both have their place. They are simply not the same product.
Broad, honest ranges — every studio and specification differs:
Small pieces — coasters, keychains, small trays — typically a few hundred to a couple of thousand rupees.
Mid-size work — serving trays, clocks, framed pieces, varmala preservation — commonly a few thousand to the low tens of thousands, depending on size and detail.
Statement work — large wall art, table tops, furniture — tens of thousands and upward, driven largely by resin volume and timber.
Within those bands, size, layering complexity, embedded elements and finishing level move the number far more than colour or theme does.
Honesty cuts both ways. Resin art is genuinely worth the price when the piece carries meaning that cannot be replicated — preserved wedding garlands, a portrait frame, a table built for the room it will live in — or when you want decor that no one else owns. It rewards buyers who will keep a piece for years, because well-made resin lasts decades with minimal care.
It is probably not worth it if you want something purely disposable or trend-driven that you will replace next season, or if identical mass-made decor genuinely satisfies the need. A ₹300 factory coaster is a perfectly good coaster. A handcrafted one is a different purchase serving a different purpose — and pretending otherwise would be marketing, not craft wisdom.
A few practical checks, wherever you buy:
Ask what resin is used and whether it is UV-stabilised; a good studio answers plainly.
Ask about lead time. Weeks suggest layered, properly cured work; "ready tomorrow" for a deep pour suggests trouble.
Look at edges and backs in photos — finishing quality hides there, not on the glamour face.
Compare like with like — size, layers, embedded materials — rather than resin to factory plastic.
Expect transparency, not pressure. If a maker can explain where the money goes, it is usually going to the right places.
If you are weighing a first commission, start with something in the middle of the range — a serving tray or platter teaches you exactly what handcrafted finish feels like before you commit to a statement piece. The price of good resin art is not a markup on plastic. It is the honest cost of materials that endure, hours that show, and a design that exists only once — an heirloom you'll keep forever.
Curious what your idea would actually cost? Message us on WhatsApp at +91 7096036250 and we'll give you a straight, no-pressure quote.
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Every piece in the journal began as someone's idea. Tell us yours — colours, keepsakes, occasions — and we'll pour it to order.
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12 May 2026 · 5 min read