I'm in a quandary - finding a finish for a table top that will provide crystal clear clarity to sanded epoxy without burying the beautiful wood under a thick layer of high-gloss epoxy.

This is what the top looks like after a coating of high gloss epoxy:

I want to make the blue "lake" crystal clear, so you can see the depth. Epoxy does that but...

My personal preference for the finish over the wood is satin. It lends an understated elegance to the beauty of the wood. High gloss, especially if it's thick, reminds me too much of a bar. And when it's thick, the epoxy hides the beauty of the wood.

Today I tested spray acrylic over sanded epoxy. Problem is the acrylic on hand was gloss but it looked like the acrylic blended into the sanding scratches in the epoxy. Which got me to thinking, "What about lacquer?"

If anyone has experience applying finishes over sanded epoxy, I'd love to hear what you've learned.