Jewelry photography

Jewelry Discussion
1

Hello everyone,

I am going to be photographing carved amber, chalcedony, and mother
of pearls in the very near future. My company has a Nikon 4500 and a
cloud dome. I’m looking for setting/ lighting tips to keep
everything clear, warm, and bright. Any suggestions for particular
digital settings or light sources or any tips at all about general
jewelry photography is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Colorfully yours,
Jill Bosko
Maxam Magnata, Inc.

jill@wholesalegems.com

2

Discussions over this topic took place few times over the last
couple of years at the Orchid forums. You can retrieve
the threads by running a keyword search.

http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive

Also make sure to check the library section on Jewelry Photography
where you will find wealth of

Best Regards
Hanuman

3

My partner and I are trying to photograph some of our engraved
silver jewelry that we have designed. I’ve been using the MK Digital
Direct light box for jewelry. Jewelry that I shot are flat looking -
in other words - there’s not a lot of contrast in the images.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to photograph our rings
any better? Are there any jewelry boxes out there that may give be
better lighting. Jewelry Tents? Are there other boxes that have
removable sides so I can get spot lighting in? Any suggestions?

Jewelry Photography at Ganoksin’s Article archive:
Jewelry Photography - Ganoksin Jewelry Making Community

Thanks - Jo Collins

4

This is one of those times that you can either do it yourself with
mixed results, or hire a professional. I opt for the latter.
Jewelry photographers are rare breed that when done well, will make
your work lift off the page. Images live in peoples minds forever.
I recommend Robert Diamante, www.robertdiamante.com. He has been a
professional jewelry photographer for years, and used to make
jewelry.

Please share with us your experience working with Robert Diamante
http://www.ganoksin.com/resources/detail-robert_diamante-1522.html

-karen

Karen Christians
M E T A L W E R X
50 Guinan St.
Waltham, MA 02451
Ph. 781/891-3854 Fax 3857
http://www.metalwerx.com/
Jewelry/Metalarts School & Cooperative Studio

5

Karen,

Thanks for the kind recommendation. I hope to have an article about
Photography for Craftspeople ready to submit to Orchid by the end of
October. This article was previously published in the PMC Journal,
and in it I strongly voice the need for artists to hire a
professional photographer unless they have the proper training and
equipment to do it themselves. I discuss other things as well, but
that’s all best left for the future.

Best,
Robert D

6

As suggested some time ago, the best way to photograph rings is to
glue them, “use a blob of wax” underneath in order to give a free
standing result, and shoot! It shows your work in all its glory
without any fixture taking away from detail.

Best wishes
Tina
Ireland

7

I concur with Karen’s recommendation of Robert Diamante for jewelry
photography. I had Robert shoot a group of items for me last year. I
was very pleased, both with his professionalism and with the photos.
His image of my necklace was used in AJM’s “Behind the Design”
article: Michael David Sturlin's Two Strand Crocheted Chain - Ganoksin Jewelry Making Community.

Several of the other photos on my website are also Robert’s shots.

Please share with us your experience working with Robert Diamante by
writing an anonymous review. It will help others to make informed
decisions.

http://www.ganoksin.com/resources/detail-robert_diamante-1522.html

Michael David Sturlin
www.michaeldavidsturlin.com