Jewelry Photography Question

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Doing some jewelry photography for a friend. One of the views he needs is when the ring is positioned vertically. The question is how to stabilize the ring and at the same time show no traces of a wax (that's what he gave me) or any other contraption? In many catalogs, rings appear to "float." I am attaching one of my shots, with unsightly wax. Removing it in Photoshop, while doable, does not seem like a practical option when you shoot hundreds of pieces.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Simple. You just need to place it on an anti-gravity machine.   

Sorry I can't help.

[Christoph C. Feldhaim]

Maybe a very small drip of superglue?

[HarperPhotos]

Hello,

I use Musemun Wax

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Crystalline-Clear-Museum-Wax-Net-Wt-50-Grams-H4-/231086018694?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35cdccd086

Cheers

Simon

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Maybe a very small drip of superglue?

You are only half-right. It should be a "very small drip," but of wax, apparently.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... I use Museum Wax...

Thanks Simon, "crystal clear" type and a very small amount should do the trick. I was apparently using less than crystal clear, and too much.

[DanielStone]

hang it upside down with some extremely thin lightweight monofilament(aka fishing line)?

just a thought... Never done it, but just a thought. Small amount of retouching of course

[Phil Indeblanc]

Maybe a very small drip of superglue?

That can damage the finish.

[Michael N. Meyer]

A small bit of beeswax is another way to do this. It might be easier to get than the Museum Wax.

[Rob C]

It's winter; somebody must have a pair of old wooden skis... plenty of wax around there.

Alpine Wax; has a ring to it - like cowbells.

Rob C

[Wenge]

Hi,
I'm learning silversmithing & making sterling rings & experimented with this a bit when making a lightbox. I found a good support for rings is oven-baked clay from the hobby shop (without baking it of course). It comes in small rectangle packages, cheap, firm enough to hold the weight of a silver ring, and just takes a very small piece which can be formed into a tiny ball.  Then the ring will rest firmly on top of it with a small amount of pressure pushed down and it stays put on whatever you're using for the base. 

Any clay that sticks out after pushing down, you can trim excess out of the way with point of a knife so it won't show in the photo.

[Paul Williamson]

Does the ring really need to be vertical when you shoot it? Why not just lay the ring down on a sheet of clean glass and shoot from above?

Obviously, you'd need to adjust the lights to match, and if you want the ring to appear to sit on a surface, you'll need to arrange a vertical surface next to the ring.

[Christoph C. Feldhaim]

Chewing gum anyone?

[Rob C]

Chewing gum anyone?

Peppermint?

Rob C

P.S. Is this the last train to Trollsville?

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Does the ring really need to be vertical when you shoot it? Why not just lay the ring down on a sheet of clean glass and shoot from above?

Hi Paul,

Wrong reflections?

One typically wants to also get the reflections from the surface that the rings are placed on exactly right.

Cheers,
Bart

[Phil Indeblanc]

You can also put a tiny hole in a sheet and use fishing line to tie and slip into the hole and erect the ring. If you have a lot to shoot, start tieing and then get a large strurdy sheet, drill some holes with good distance so you don't get reflections from other pieces, and start tieing them down. the shooting part will be a breeze. Edit is a simple touch of the fishing line.   Daniels sollution would work as well. Placing it on glass could work, but can introduce other challenges.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Many thanks for all the contributions and ideas.

A couple of notes: shooting from above I assume would be difficult, requiring a copy stand and a completely different lighting arrangement. It would also create different shadows and reflections around the ring, creating an impression that the ring is standing against a wall. Since most rings require two or three views, one vertical, one horizontal, and perhaps one at a 45 degree angle, if you are shooting from above, that would again raise the issue how to position it for other views. Changing from "above" position to a regular wold also be impractical when doing hundreds of pieces.

Fishing line might work, but tying and untying it each time would be cumbersome and time consuming, I presume.

In the meantime, I acquired a crystal clear museum wax and am getting better at applying ever smaller amounts of it:

[Alan Klein]

Slobodan:  I found this web page  for shooting jewelry.  Might help.
http://www.tabletopstudio.com/jewelry_photography.html
Alan

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Good site, Alan, thanks!