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Ultimate Guide to Jewelry Product Photography: Backgrounds, Lighting & Editing

June 15, 2022
4 mins

Jewelry product photography is a crucial element in eCommerce, where high-quality visuals influence buying decisions. With consumers increasingly relying on product images to make purchasing decisions, capturing jewelry in the best possible light can significantly impact conversions and sales. According to a study by Etsy, listings with professional-quality photos are 1.5 times more likely to sell. Unlike other product photography, jewelry presents unique challenges due to its reflective surfaces, intricate details, and the need to highlight its brilliance. This guide combines insights from industry experts to help eCommerce sellers, photographers, and brands master the art of jewelry product photography. By covering essential techniques such as background selection, lighting setup, composition, and AI-powered post-processing, this guide will equip you with everything needed to create stunning jewelry images that stand out in a competitive marketplace.


1. Choosing the Right Background


The background you select for your jewelry photography plays a crucial role in enhancing product appeal, maintaining brand consistency, and ensuring customer engagement. A well-chosen background not only makes jewelry stand out but also sets the right tone for your brand's identity. The creative background for jewelry photography can make all the difference between an average product image and one that captivates potential buyers.


Neutral Backgrounds for a Professional Look

White background is one of the best backgrounds for jewelry photography


A clean, neutral background enhances jewelry details without distractions. For professional jewelry photography, using white, beige, or light gray backgrounds creates a classic, professional look. These colors help ensure that the jewelry remains the focus and that light reflections are well-balanced.


Using AI background removal tools can create a pure white backdrop, a standard choice for eCommerce platforms like Amazon, Etsy, and Shopify. 


Off-white and platinum shades provide subtle depth while maintaining clarity, helping to bring out the natural shine and texture of metals and gemstones. These neutral backgrounds work particularly well for minimalist, modern, and luxury brands, ensuring a clean and high-end aesthetic that's perfect for professional jewelry photography.


Contrasting & Colored Backgrounds for a Striking Effect

Classic black background is one of the best backgrounds for jewelry photography


Dark backgrounds create a luxurious contrast, making gemstones and metalwork pop. These are commonly used for high-end and statement jewelry pieces where dramatic presentation is essential. The right creative background for jewelry photography can transform an ordinary piece into something extraordinary.


Experimenting with black and dark gray backgrounds adds elegance and sophistication. These colors enhance the depth and richness of precious stones like diamonds, sapphires, and rubies. 


Pewter blue and sizzling red are ideal choices, particularly for statement pieces and culturally significant jewelry. For example, deep red backgrounds complement gold jewelry, while rich blue backgrounds enhance silver and platinum pieces.


Colored backgrounds can also be used to create a brand-specific aesthetic by aligning with logo colors and marketing materials, ensuring visual coherence across various digital and print platforms. Finding the best background for jewelry photography often means aligning with your overall brand identity.


Contextual & Lifestyle Backgrounds

Using people in background for jewelry photography


Using backgrounds that tell a story or complement the jewelry's aesthetics adds depth to your product images. Contextual backgrounds can provide potential buyers with a sense of how the jewelry looks in real-world settings, making them more likely to visualize themselves wearing it. This approach is particularly effective for professional jewelry model photography.


Lifestyle settings and models provide important context. For example:

  • Soft, wooden backgrounds add warmth and a natural feel to handmade jewelry collections.
  • Marble or velvet backgrounds work well for high-end, elegant jewelry pieces, enhancing their luxurious appeal.
  • Outdoor settings with natural elements like sand, leaves, or fabric folds can help bohemian and artisanal jewelry stand out.


Royal and showcase backgrounds enhance the sense of luxury and exclusivity. This is particularly useful for brands looking to position their jewelry as premium or bespoke.


Lifestyle backgrounds
are ideal for social media content, brand storytelling, and digital marketing campaigns, creating an emotional connection with potential buyers. The creative background for jewelry photography in these contexts helps tell a story that goes beyond the product itself.


Gradient & Textured Backgrounds for a Unique Appeal

Using Bokeh as a background for jewelry photography


For brands that want to go beyond the standard solid colors, gradient and textured backgrounds offer a creative way to showcase jewelry while maintaining professionalism. These creative backgrounds for jewelry photography can set your products apart from competitors.


Gradients can add subtle depth and dimension to product images. A soft gold-to-beige gradient works well for gold jewelry, while a blue-to-silver gradient enhances cool-toned metals. Adobe Creative Cloud blog article states "gradient backgrounds can increase visual interest by 25%."


Textured backgrounds like brushed metal, silk, or stone can add an extra layer of sophistication, creating a high-fashion or editorial look. Experimenting with textures to complement specific jewelry materials and finishes ensures the final image aligns with the brand's messaging.


2. Lighting Techniques for Flawless Jewelry Photography


Proper lighting is essential for reducing glare, avoiding harsh reflections, and ensuring every detail of the jewelry shines through. For professional jewelry photography, lighting can make or break your final image.


Soft, Diffused Lighting for an Even Glow


Using natural light or softboxes to minimize reflections and highlight intricate details is recommended by industry experts. In jewelry product photography, placing jewelry near a window with sheer curtains or using artificial lights with diffusers softens the shadows.


Adjusting the angle of lighting based on the background maintains consistency and balance. 


Using Reflectors for Better Detail Visibility


Placing white reflectors or foam boards around the jewelry reduces shadows and enhances sparkle. This technique is essential for creating standout professional jewelry photography.


Reflective surfaces like metallic paper can help bounce light onto gemstones, making them shine brighter. This technique is particularly valuable when working with diamonds and other highly reflective stones.


3. Positioning & Capturing the Shot

Using cloth as a background for jewelry photography


Lighting plays a critical role in jewelry photography, ensuring that intricate details, gemstone brilliance, and metal finishes are captured accurately. Since jewelry is highly reflective, improper lighting can cause unwanted glare, overexposed areas, or dull appearance. Below are the best techniques to achieve consistent, professional lighting for jewelry product photography.


Soft, Diffused Lighting for an Even Glow


Harsh lighting can create extreme reflections or unwanted shadows, making it difficult to capture the fine details of jewelry. Instead, using soft, diffused lighting ensures even illumination and reduces harsh reflections. The creative background for jewelry photography works best when paired with appropriate lighting.

  • Natural light: Position jewelry near a large window with sheer curtains to soften direct sunlight and create an even glow.
  • Artificial diffused lighting: Use light diffusers, softboxes, or white umbrellas to spread the light evenly across the jewelry, reducing harsh shadows and maintaining a balanced exposure.
  • DIY diffusion solutions: If professional equipment isn't available, placing a white sheet, tracing paper, or frosted acrylic sheet in front of a direct light source can help create diffused lighting. 


Using Reflectors for Better Detail Visibility


Reflectors help redirect light onto shadowed areas, ensuring that all aspects of the jewelry are well-lit. Since jewelry pieces have multiple small details, using reflectors ensures no part looks too dark or washed out. This is crucial for professional jewelry photography.

  • White foam boards or foldable reflectors can be placed around the jewelry to bounce light and fill in shadows.
  • Metallic reflectors (silver/gold) can enhance the color tones of the jewelry:
    • Silver reflectors are ideal for diamond, platinum, and white gold jewelry, enhancing their cool-toned brilliance.
    • Gold reflectors help bring warmth to yellow and rose gold pieces, making them appear more vibrant.
  • Small mirrors can be used strategically to direct light to specific gemstone facets, enhancing their sparkle and brilliance.


Avoiding Unwanted Reflections & Glare


Jewelry surfaces—especially polished metal and gemstones—can easily reflect the surroundings, including the camera, photographer, or lighting setup. Minimizing these reflections ensures clean, high-quality images. The best background for jewelry photography won't matter if reflections distract from your product.

  • Polarizing filters: Attaching a polarizing filter to the camera lens helps reduce reflections and glare, particularly on gemstones and metallic surfaces.
  • Adjusting the angle of lighting: Instead of placing light sources directly in front of the jewelry, positioning them at a slight angle (45° or more) reduces direct reflections.
  • Using a light tent: A light tent or lightbox surrounds the jewelry with diffused lighting, eliminating harsh reflections and maintaining a controlled environment. 


Creating a Sparkling Effect on Gemstones


Gemstones like diamonds, sapphires, and emeralds look their best when they sparkle. To enhance their brilliance, proper lighting techniques should be used. This is especially important for professional jewelry model photography where the jewelry needs to shine naturally.

  • Spotlights or LED pens: Using a small LED spotlight or pen light directed at the gemstone can create a controlled sparkle effect.
  • Backlighting techniques: Placing a soft light behind translucent gemstones (such as opals or aquamarines) can highlight their natural depth and color variations.
  • Multiple light sources: Using two or more light sources from different angles can maximize gemstone brilliance while reducing dark spots or uneven reflections.


Using the Right Color Temperature for Accuracy


Lighting color temperature affects how jewelry colors appear in photos. If the wrong temperature is used, gold can look dull, and silver might appear overly warm. The creative background for jewelry photography should be complemented by proper lighting temperature.

  • 5000K-5500K (daylight balance): This is the recommended range for capturing accurate colors in jewelry photography.
  • Adjustable LED lights: Using LED lights with adjustable color temperatures allows fine-tuning for perfect color accuracy.
  • White balance correction: Manually setting the camera's white balance or using a gray card ensures the jewelry's true colors are represented accurately.


Studio Setup for Professional Jewelry Photography


For brands and photographers looking for consistent, studio-quality results, setting up a controlled lighting environment is key. A professional setup is essential for consistent jewelry product photography.

  • Two softboxes or diffused LED panels placed at 45-degree angles from the jewelry help evenly illuminate the product.
  • A backlight or fill light can be added to enhance depth and separate the jewelry from the background.
  • A white or black acrylic surface under the jewelry can create subtle reflections, adding a luxurious touch. 


4. AI & Editing for Professional-Grade Images


Post-processing
is an essential step in jewelry photography, helping to refine images, remove distractions, and enhance product details. AI-powered tools offer advanced editing capabilities that streamline the process and produce high-quality, market-ready images with minimal effort.


Removing Backgrounds for a Clean & Professional Look

AI-powered background removal tools allow jewelry photographers to instantly eliminate distractions. This helps in achieving a consistent, professional appearance for eCommerce listings while maintaining focus on the jewelry. Finding the best background for jewelry photography is only part of the equation—sometimes removing the original background entirely is the way to go.


Enhancing Jewelry Details with AI Retouching


AI retouching tools help refine jewelry images by eliminating imperfections and enhancing details. These tools can:

  • Sharpen intricate details like engravings, stone settings, and fine textures.
  • Remove dust and smudges that may be visible in high-resolution shots.
  • Correct exposure and contrast to make gemstones and metals shine without overexposure.



Color Correction for Accurate Representation


Jewelry colors must be true to life to avoid misleading customers. AI-powered editing software can adjust:

  • White balance to ensure metals and gemstones retain their natural hues.
  • Saturation and vibrancy to enhance gemstone brilliance without making them appear artificial.
  • Color consistency across multiple product images for a uniform brand aesthetic. 


Adding Shadows & Reflections for Depth


A flat image may not showcase the luxury of jewelry effectively. AI tools allow for:

  • Shadow adjustments to create a more three-dimensional look.
  • Reflections and highlights to mimic the natural way light interacts with jewelry.
  • Subtle glow effects to emphasize gemstone sparkle without making images look unnatural.


Batch Editing for Efficiency


For eCommerce brands handling large jewelry inventories, batch editing features help streamline workflows by:

  • Applying consistent edits across multiple images to maintain brand cohesion.
  • Automating background removal, retouching, and color correction for faster processing.
  • Scaling and resizing images for different eCommerce platforms without losing quality.


Final Thoughts


Jewelry photography is both an art and a science, requiring careful attention to background selection, lighting techniques, positioning, and AI-powered post-processing. By mastering these essential elements, eCommerce sellers and photographers can produce stunning, high-quality images that enhance customer engagement and drive conversions.


Leveraging AI tools can simplify editing workflows, ensuring that each piece of jewelry is showcased at its absolute best. High-quality product images build trust, reduce return rates, and create a compelling brand presence in a competitive marketplace. Finding the right creative background for jewelry photography is just one part of a comprehensive approach to showcasing your pieces.


With the right combination of technical knowledge, creativity, and AI-driven enhancements, jewelry brands can elevate their online presentation, captivate potential buyers, and maximize sales opportunities. Whether you're an independent jeweler, a professional photographer, or an established brand, investing in effective jewelry product photography techniques is a game-changer in the eCommerce space.

76% of product photos have a white background. Hence, a white background is your safest bet — especially when hosting your jewelry product on another website. When using a white backdrop for your product photoshoot, it is always better to use artificial lighting to simplify the editing process. You can also consider investing in a lightbox from Amazon in the long run.

 

 

Perguntas frequentes

How do you photograph jewelry at home?
- Use a mirrorless DSLR camera - A tripod stand to avoid taking shaky images - Make sure your jewelry is well-lit - Set your camera in the correct aperture - Take a good snap from different angles
Which is the best lighting for jewelry photography?
Soft lighting is the best for jewelry photoshoots. You can diffuse artificial light to get the best-quality images.
How to photograph jewelry outside?
For shooting outside, make sure the sunlight is behind the camera and not in front of the camera. Also, avoid shooting in direct sunlight. You can choose a shaded area to take outdoor jewelry photoshoots.
How do you avoid reflection in jewelry photography?
Try placing a paper at the bottom and around your camera. This can help block reflections and bounce more light towards your subject.
How do you photograph jewelry on a white background?
Ensure you have lamps or your preferred artificial lights at the side and the top of your jewelry and all the other lights off. Place your camera directly in the front of your jewelry piece. Keep your product closer to the background to avoid shadows.