Jewelry photography secrets: Capture perfect product photos
TLDR; Effective jewelry product photography is crucial for online sales success. By learning lighting techniques, photo setup, camera settings, and composition, you can showcase fine details and appeal to discerning customers. AI-powered editing tools like Photoroom now make it possible for businesses of all sizes to create professional-quality images efficiently. These combined approaches enable online jewelry stores to present their products attractively and potentially boost sales.
Anybody who’s shopped online for a ring, bracelet, necklace or any other gift for themselves or a loved one can attest to the importance of jewelry product photography. You need to see the product in as much detail, and from as many different angles, as possible to make an informed decision about what to purchase.
According to Instore Magazine, 33% of respondents to a survey said that the retailer’s website—and how products were presented—was the most influential factor in their purchasing decision. Quality (31%) and design (23%) followed closely behind as the second and third most important factors, both of which are primarily presented through photography.
This poses a challenge for online jewelry stores—especially those without significant photographic resources on-hand. Jewelry can be particularly challenging to photograph due to its tiny stature, fine details, and reflective services. But, jewelry isn’t cheap. And consumers need to know as much as they can about a product before they make a purchase.
A challenge is no reason to turn away from a significant market opportunity. The online jewelry industry is forecast to reach $117 billion by 2027, indicating a major opportunity for existing online retailers and brick-and-mortar retailers looking to expand online.
Luckily, tools like AI photo editing can make this process easier and faster. We’ve written this guide to help you master jewelry product photography for your online store.
The art of jewelry product photography
Jewelry is big business. Over half of respondents to that Instore Magazine survey said they spend up to $500 on average when purchasing new jewelry, and 26% said they would spend between $1000 to $5000. There are not many consumer categories that rival that level of spend for a single purchase, which makes jewelry a premium product in the world of online sales.
Photography for a premium product is, of course, important. Unfortunately, many photographers will say that jewelry is tougher to capture than other consumer items like clothes or furniture. The variety of smooth, shiny surfaces and wide range of materials make pinning down the right lighting setup and camera angle tricky. There’s also the need to avoid reflections, smudges, lens flares, and imperfections in the product.
High-quality jewelry product photography, therefore, is an art. It requires the effective manipulation of light, the right camera equipment that can capture fine details, and the proper use of shutter speed and aperture to ensure the image is captured in a flattering way. Capturing fine details is, of course, critical. Consumers will want to closely analyze the product before making a purchase.
Jewelry product photograph formats
Jewelry product photographs come in a wide range of formats, depending on their uses:
Product photos: These are high-detail shots of jewelry on a clean background. They’re clutter-free and focus exclusively on the product in fine detail. Product photos are typically used on product pages, in marketplaces, and anywhere else a high-detail image is required.
Lifestyle photos: These pictures show your product on a model or against a complementary background. This helps to demonstrate the scale of the product and show it within a real-world context. Lifestyle photos can be used on product pages, a lookbook, social media posts, and other sales and marketing collateral.
Scale photos: These shots provide context for the size of the piece, which can be difficult to gauge from standard product photos. The scale object should be recognizable to your target audience like placing the jewelry next to common items like lipstick or even a model's hand. This gives viewers an immediate sense of the item's size.
Packaging photos: Packaging photos showcase how the jewelry will be presented upon delivery, which can be particularly important for gift purchases or luxury items. They set expectations for the unboxing experience and can add perceived value to the product. Besides showing how all elements of the packaging, from outer boxes to inner cushions or pouches, you can also use it to highlight unique features such as special jewelry protection, eco-friendly packaging, care instructions, etc.
While many high-end jewelry brands will turn to professional photographers for help, you don’t have to. Smartphone cameras combined with AI photo editing apps like Photoroom can help you produce high-quality jewelry product photographs at a fraction of the cost and time.
The role of AI in jewelry photography
AI is already making a significant impact on the world of photography. It’s changing the way that photographers and amateurs capture and edit images, making post-processing and image manipulation easier and less time-consuming.
“AI opens the world to non-professionals who want to use photos to sell products online,” says Benn Meisner, founder of Ribbett.com in Forbes.
“It adds a new layer to traditional photo editing software by taking repetitive, manually intensive tasks, learning what we want and helping us achieve it more easily. Complex work is performed more quickly and automation reduces human error, leaving us with more time and space to dream, experiment and attain superior results.”
This is particularly useful for jewelry photography, which can require significant post-production to sharpen images, remove blemishes, and balance colors. Just a few clicks using a photo editing app like Photoroom, you can:
Remove the backgrounds of an image and either leave it transparent or replace it with a solid color or pre-built background
Enhance and retouch images for ecommerce to remove clutter, extra objects, and imperfections
Create shadows based on the object, angles, and light sources
And all the common editing options: adjust colors, contrast, and white balance
But AI isn’t just about speeding up the editing process. In the case of generative AI, these tools can be used to identify and classify specific objects within a photo. That context can then be used to manipulate the background of the photo and placement of the jewelry into a completely new state or composition.
Here’s an example. You have a photo of a ring that’s on a white background. With the Instant Backgrounds tool from Photoroom, you can generate a new background with the context and tone that you want to sell your product. It will automatically generate a range of different backgrounds for you. Or, you can input your own prompts to generate something new.
In this case, we used the following prompt to create a custom background:
“Sitting on a rock with trees in the background.”
Here’s what Photoroom came up with:
Ring image source: Clocks & Colours
Play around with different prompts to create new and unique backgrounds for your jewelry product photographs. Here are 50 AI prompts to help you get started (ten of them are specifically for jewelry photos)
Once you’re done, you can use the following actions to finalize your image:
Alter the lighting and contrast of your images
Add various filters on top of your images like sepia, black and white, colored filters, and more
Dynamically create complementary shadows for your products to help them stand out from the background
Resize your image, either manually or choose from a wide range of pre-set dimensions, or specify a custom size
With an AI-powered photo editing tool like Photoroom in your back pocket, you can turn your attention to capturing exceptional jewelry product photographs. The remainder of this article will offer tips on how to do that.
Essential equipment for jewelry photography
Capturing the beauty of jewelry requires a mix of the right tools, careful positioning, and good lighting. Here's a breakdown of the essential jewelry photography equipment needed to produce high-quality pictures:
Camera:
For detailed, high-resolution images that capture every nuance of a piece, a DSLR or mirrorless camera is ideal. These cameras offer the highest image quality and control and allow full control over settings like aperture, ISO, and shutter speed, which is crucial for accurately representing small objects like jewelry. They also allow you to shoot in RAW format for editing flexibility. Some popular examples are the Canon EOS R5, Nikon D850, and Sony A7R IV.
However, if you don’t want to get a DSLR camera or learn how to use one, you can use your smartphone as well. Many phones now come equipped with excellent lenses and software enhancements that can produce sharp, high-quality images. While they don't offer the same level of control as DSLRs, pairing a good smartphone camera with AI-powered editing tools (like Photoroom) can still deliver professional-looking results on a budget.
Lenses
Jewelry often features complex details that require close-up shots. A macro lens is essential for this, as it allows you to focus on small details, such as the prongs holding a gemstone or any engravings. The two most common macro lenses are Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM and Nikon AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED. You can also use 50mm or 100mm prime lenses. They are great for overall product shots and lifestyle images and typically offer wide apertures for beautiful background blur when needed.
Lighting
Jewelry is highly reflective, which makes controlling light critical. You can use softboxes or diffusers to create even and soft, diffused lighting that eliminates harsh shadows and highlights. This helps to minimize reflections on shiny surfaces like gold or gemstones, allowing the true colors and details of the jewelry to come through. You can also use a ring light and/or LED panels because you can adjust both the brightness and the color temperature, which is useful when working with different types of metals and gemstones. For example, warmer light tones can bring out the glow in gold, while cooler light enhances the brilliance of diamonds and silver.
Tripod
Stability is very essential when photographing jewelry. A tripod ensures your camera remains still, especially when shooting with longer exposure times needed for capturing sharp, detailed images. It eliminates the risk of camera shake, which can blur fine details or leave light streaks. A sturdy tripod also makes it easier to maintain consistent angles across multiple shots. You should consider a tripod with a center column that can be positioned horizontally for overhead shots. It allows you to capture top-down images without contorting the tripod legs or risking an unstable setup.
Backgrounds and surfaces
Clean, simple backgrounds are often best for jewelry photography as they allow the jewelry to be the focus of the image. White or black seamless paper is ideal because it creates a distraction-free backdrop. White background images enhance the overall brightness and clarity of the jewelry, while black can make metallic finishes and gemstones pop by adding contrast.
You can also use acrylic sheets to give you a smooth, reflective surface that can add an extra dimension to your jewelry photos. The reflection can make the jewelry appear more luxurious and create a professional, high-end look. Textured backgrounds—such as marble, wood, or fabric—can also create an engaging contrast with the jewelry and tell a story about the piece's style or intended use. For example, a rustic wooden surface can highlight a vintage ring, while a soft fabric can complement delicate, minimalist jewelry.
Pro tip: You can take your jewelry shots on any background and generate professional backgrounds in Photoroom, just like Pam East Designs is doing for her handmade silver jewelry.
Jewelry display stands
You need display stands or busts that allow you to show the jewelry in a way that mirrors how it would look when worn. This is particularly important for necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, as it helps potential buyers visualize the scale and fit of the item. These props also add a professional touch to your photography.
When photographing small pieces of jewelry, especially on flat surfaces, Blu-Tack or a similar adhesive can keep the items from moving or rolling out of position. This allows you to set up your shot precisely and ensure everything stays in place, especially when working with multiple pieces in one shot. It’s best to use tweezers, cotton gloves, and a microfiber cloth when moving jewelry around for pictures to avoid smudges and fingerprints on your pieces.
Photo editing software
There are many photo editing tools available depending on your budget, editing needs, and proficiency level. The right software should help you adjust lighting, color balance, and sharpness, as well as remove imperfections or distracting elements. For jewelry photography, consider software that offers precise control over details and color accuracy. Look for tools that allow you to enhance the sparkle of gemstones without making the image look unrealistic. Some software also includes AI-powered features that can automate certain tasks, such as background removal or image enhancement.
Tips and best practices for jewelry product photography
Establishing a consistent and repeatable process for your jewelry product photography is key. This will ensure that all of your product images are of the same quality, and show the same level of detail. It will also reduce the time needed to create and edit photographs for your entire product portfolio.
To achieve that consistency, we recommend the following eight tips.
1. Pick the right gear
In the ideal world, you would have an expensive DSLR camera with a high-quality lens that even helps you pick up particles of dust on a diamond. But that’s far from mandatory. Online store owners can achieve amazing results with a simple iPhone or Android, a camera app that allows them to set aperture, focal range, and ISO, and a tripod to stabilize images.
Play around with different settings, camera distances, and angles until you’ve identified the right set up for your products.
2. Get the lighting right
Lighting is critical for jewelry product photos. You require just enough light so that all minute details of the object are visible, but not so much that you cause harsh glares or reflections. The light also has to be uniform to properly expose all parts of the piece.
Natural light from windows is ideal. Set up your table as close to the window as possible and at a 90-degree angle to the light source. This will ensure that your light is uniform across the object, and will avoid shadows and over-exposure in the background of the image.
If you want to invest a bit of money into your setup, you can opt for artificial light sources like softboxes, studio lights, or light diffusers. In all cases, it’s important to avoid strong, harsh lighting directly on the piece of jewelry that is likely to cause shows or reflections.
If you want to add shadows to your images to create a specific tone or mood, then practice with changing the angle of your light source relative to the object. You can also use Photoroom’s Instant Shadows tool to add artificial shadows in post-production.
The floating shadow in the image below, for example:
3. Set up your camera properly
Jewelry product photographs need to be crisp and sharp to capture all the fine details in your product. To accomplish that, you need to set your camera to the right aperture size and shutter speed.
For aperture, you should set your camera to somewhere around F14 to ensure adequate lighting, and more depth of focus. Shutter speed should be somewhere around 1/2 second, which allows enough light to enter the camera’s lens to provide the level of detail required.
The above specs are just a suggestion. We recommend playing around with different combinations of aperture and shutter speed until you find one that works for your images. In all cases, ensure that your white balance is set properly so that the colors captured in your photos are accurate to real life.
Tip: Make sure to clean and polish your jewelry before taking your product shots. High quality cameras will pick up imperfections and blemishes, which can negatively impact your presentation.
4. Pick the right background
The background of a photo can either add or detract from the appeal of your product. Too much clutter, or a background that overshadows the product, can cause shoppers to lose interest. Likewise, a background that makes the object pop, or situates it in a relevant real-world setting presents your jewelry in the best possible light, increasing the odds of a sale.
When choosing the background for your object, consider the product itself, your target audience, and the medium on which the image will appear. Select a background that complements the product, is contextually relevant to your shoppers, and is inline with your sales and marketing efforts.
For jewelry, white or black backgrounds are common, as they allow details of the object to pop against a uniform background. And, they’re necessary when promoting jewelry on e-commerce marketplaces like Amazon or eBay.
That initial background doesn’t have to be set in stone. As mentioned, you can easily remove and replace backgrounds as needed in post-production using Photoroom.
5. Capture your jewelry from multiple angles
As mentioned, shoppers will want to see details of your products from multiple angles to get a full picture of the item. When photographing your products, move either the camera or the jewelry so that you capture them from as many angles as possible.
You can then add these multiple angles—and any variations with contextual backgrounds—to your online store to help shoppers get a full, 360-degree view of what you’re offering.
The image below was taken from Tiffany & Co’s website, demonstrating how they use various angles and settings to showcase their products.
Try Photoroom for your jewelry product photography today
Any photographer will tell you that having a high-quality photo editing tool is essential. They can make great photographs better, and fix ones that need some help. With Photoroom, you can dramatically speed up the photo editing process, helping you manage jewelry product photography at scale. Quickly remove and replace backgrounds, touch up and delete unwanted objects, balance and sharpen colors, and add filters to strike a new mood or tone.
Try Photoroom for yourself today. It’s accessible on both mobile devices and desktop, and can be downloaded from the App Store, the Google Play Store, or login to Photoroom on your desktop. Set up your account in less than a minute, and start saving hours for more important tasks.
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