Photographing jewelry

One thing you might have noticed while perusing the images of the jewelry on these pages is that it's very tricky to capture them in pictures.

I have to make sure I have enough light, that the angle shows the necklace off at optimum, and the background is aesthetically pleasing but not distracting.

I want to be able to present my work at its best. I try to capture the colors and textures, the beauty of my shells and stones and beads - but it is a very challenging task.

In the coming months I will be doing a lot of experimenting with photography and exploring the best ways to capture these pieces digitally, and hopefully improve the quality of my pictures. Wish me luck!

Butterfly whimsy

This is another necklace with colors that are perfect for the approaching fall (but I'm in denial about summer being over, you say). Fear not, this necklace should get you in the mood! The pendant is a whimsical butterfly-shaped mother-of-pearl, with swirls of brown and gold. It is paired with a strand made of topaz glass beads, on sterling silver.

More mother-of-pearl

Pendants made of mother-of-pearl are very versatile because they can be painted with any color scheme, pattern, or decoration, making for an endless array of possibilities. In this necklace, the color combination of brown, pink, and a hint of purple in the pendant calls for a strand of amethyst beads. The slightly subdued color scheme makes this a great autumn necklace!

For brides

This piece, made of white nugget pearls on a sterling silver chain (with a butterfly charm at the clasp) was inspired by the antique lace of veils and wedding gowns. Like lace, it is meant to be delicate, graceful, and timeless. I hope I succeeded.

This is the first piece in what will be a bridal jewelry collection, and comes with a matching pair of drop earrings, pictured below.

The tropics

This painted mother-of-pearl shell pendant with a pineapple quartz strand, on sterling silver, reminds me of a tropical vacation. Light and fresh, the pale yellow of the pineapple quartz calls to mind sundresses and a tall glass of pina colada.

Coral and turquoise

I've always loved the color contrast of coral and turquoise. I incorporated both in this piece that I completed a while back. The strands are made up of bamboo coral beads, with a turquoise carved pendant, on sterling silver. I imagine this worn with a strapless black dress - that pop of color in the stones makes for an unexpectedly wonderful contrast.

Green stones

At a buying trip to one of the bead shows I attended last year, I managed to acquire a lot of incredibly beautiful and interesting gemstones and beads. My jackpot buy of the day, however, was a stone called chrysoprase. I was drawn to its various shades of green - sometimes a light, mint color interspersed with a darker sea foam green:

And sometimes a deep jungle green lightening to a jade:

It was love at first sight with these gemstones, and I immediately began dreaming about the necklaces I will create.

This is the finished piece out of the third strand. It is made of Burmese chrysoprase, chained together on sterling silver wire with some of the larger stones wire-wrapped to make a dynamic choker.