What Not To Wear

Taking good pictures is absolutely crucial in selling jewelry online. Buyers can't touch your items when they're browsing your online shop: they can't see the gems sparkle as they turn a piece in the light; they can't feel a chain to gauge its heft or delicate construction; they can't try pieces on and see how the colors compliment their skin tone. It's up to us jewelry sellers to go that extra mile and make sure our pictures are top notch in every way. The color has to be spot on, the light just right, the perspective interesting.

So imagine my dismay when I uploaded my latest batch of pictures, and something just didn't seem...right. It was most noticeable in pictures of my new London blue topaz pendant necklace. There was a sickly pinkish glow all around it, and as I looked closely, I thought I saw...are those...letters?...reflected in the gem? And then I remembered. The day I took these pictures I was dressed to go to the gym, wearing...a pink t-shirt! And can you tell what brand it is? (See the extreme close-up below to test your brand-name identification skills. Hint: the Beastie Boys rock this, never rock Fila).

Needless to say, I re-shot all of the pictures I took while wearing that darn pink t-shirt. The attire this time? A nice, plain, white tee. From now on, that will be my "uniform" when taking pictures of my jewelry. Lesson learned.

Before (note the salmon pink glow):

Close-Up (but what does it say?!):


After: