Recent Products

[Bitter Jeweler]

Tried something new...for more drama?

 

[pgriz]

That graduated background really works. And the ring is beautiful. I just love looking at the stuff you create.

 

[tirediron]

Very nice David!

 

[runnah]

Tried something new...for more drama?

Round stones?

 

[astroNikon]

Wow
amazing work. I just scrolled through your facebook page.

I wish I knew you were in Cleveland .. I was just there the other week.
I used to dabble in ring design back in the late 80s/early 90s. I used Micrographix Designer back then for designing.
I still have one of the wedding ring I designed with channel set Princess cut diamonds and princess cut rubies on either end in a 18k mounting. nothing as intricate or beautiful as yours which takes years and years of expertise to design. Love the photos.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Ametrine Bracelet...

 

[mostlysunny]

This ring is BEAUTIFUL!!

 

[tirediron]

Very nice.

 

[darkchild]

I had to work LOTS of overtime to purchase my fiance's engagement ring. I still don't have my ring picked out yet though and I think i'm going to have to show her some of your work lol. I visited your FB page and you have some very nice designs!

 

[kdthomas]

Hey Bitter, can you tell me how you got the rings to float in that black space like that? I was thinking about using monofilament line and then shopping it out, but if there's a better way ...

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

I had to work LOTS of overtime to purchase my fiance's engagement ring. I still don't have my ring picked out yet though and I think i'm going to have to show her some of your work lol. I visited your FB page and you have some very nice designs!

Thanks Darkchild! Good luck with the engagement ring shopping, there is so much available out there. Talk to a real jeweler, rather than a sales person, and find something durable, for everyday wear. There is a LOT on the market that is poorly made, or not ideal for daily wear.

Hey Bitter, can you tell me how you got the rings to float in that black space like that? I was thinking about using monofilament line and then shopping it out, but if there's a better way ...

I've done that (monofilament), and I've used wire that hooked under the item. The only problem is often you can't get the item to "settle down" and loose floorboards or bumping the table make it shake again. These last two products were shot on non-glare glass, using sticky wax to hold them in place. Careful placement of the wax helps, but I usually have to edit it out.

I do different things for the gradient effect. I use black or gray paper under (4-5 inches) the glass and curved up behind the stage. Having the glass raised up allows you to put white reflectors underneath, as needed. I'll also put white card above the stage if I want to "light up" the glass in front to effect the gradient like in post #136 above. It all depends on the angle you are shooting, and the angle your light is coming from. I'm still working on getting a system that is easy to get great results quickly, and settling on a style I like. I've been real happy with my most recent shots (above), and cringe at some of the ones earlier in this thread. LOL. I don't have a lot of time to shoot, because often these pieces get picked up within an hour of finishing them.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

The older images on all black were suspended, with black cloth in the background.
I'm not sure which pictures you're actually asking about.

 

[kdthomas]

The older images on all black were suspended, with black cloth in the background.
I'm not sure which pictures you're actually asking about.

right ... those at the top of the thread ... I appreciate the guidance

 

[kdthomas]

Bitter ... one more thing ... can you share with us any books you used specifically for techniques and setups for product photos?

Thanks,
--Kerry

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

"LIGHT, SCIENCE, MAGIC"

Great book!

I am only using one overhead 4 bulb flourescent light fixture w/it's diffusion panel. My white box is under it. Attached picture of box being painted. I can do a lot with that one light fixture, because it's the use of reflectors, or blockers that really makes the difference. I linked to a reflector card product somewhere in this thread, I think. But it's just various pieces of white, or black cardboard that you can cut and bend, and position. With jewelry, my approach is more about controlling reflections than anything else.