Artists Tools
There are quite a few photographs on DeviantART that depict Jewellery and in particular Jewellery photography is popular within the Artisan Crafts and Still Life galleries. So here are some basic tips to capturing your Jewellery at its best whether you want to sell your products or just show them off..
Light Boxes
I've recently used one of these to do some commercial photography and they work quite well. They're great for photographing small items on white backgrounds and having that clean, sharp commercial look. For those that haven't used them before, Lightboxes are translucent surfaces illuminated from behind which are designed to highlight the shape laid upon them in high contrast. Think about those boxes used to highlight X-rays in a hospital - just like that. They can be fairly decently priced and you can pick up bargains on places like Ebay. There's also a great article talking you through how to create your own. Check it out here.
Light Tents
Not to be confused with the above! These are small white tents in which you can place your products. For small items such as jewellery, two lights can work really well. Lighting is another useful tool but again you can get creative with these rather than invest in the set up shown below. Small torches and anything that can provide good natural looking light will work well. Positioning the lights to the side of your light tent will help diffuse and get rid of any harsh glare - don't be afraid to move your object around until it's in a good position and casts no shadows.
Creating 'Sparkle.'
Lighting is all very well and good, but what about that sparkle we often see on Jewellery? To create this (without photoshop) it's fairly simple but you need to be comfortable with your lighting setup first. For capturing the best sparkle, it does take a bit of investment, but there is something called a 'Diamond Dazzler Bulb' which you can use to put in your lights. It's available here. Pricey but worth it if you're in to selling your products commercially.
Prop Wax
This is genius. I use blu tak - it does the same thing! But wax is great because it's invisible in photographs, pretty much, and you can use it to stand up your jewellery especially small charms where you need a good angle to capture detail. It's also useful for those who work with polymer clay or who create dollhouse miniatures. It doesn't dry out, it's clean and it's clear!
Black Ice
This is incredibly popular amongst photographers and allows you to capture that soft, muted yet 'pure' background. It can also be used to create crisp 'reflections' depending on the style you buy and what you use it for. It doesn't have to be expensive as the below kit - you can use black glass or black acrylic to create different effects and you can pick these sorts of things up from home stores as well.
