Practical Gem Photography

Do-it-yourself tips from a gem cutter who's figured out how to shoot stones and still have time and money to cut others.

By Boris Kolodny, BA, MA, F.C.Gm.A.

All photographs are by the author.

If you're a gem cutter, sooner or later you're going to decide to photograph your gems. Maybe you want to catalog them, maybe you want to sell them, or maybe you simply want to brag before lesser folks. So you pull out your camera and get to work. You look at the results -- and that moment, you discover that the picture that is supposed to be worth a thousand words doesn't look anything like the stone itself! The stone is bright, rich, and lively, but the image is dull, dark and lifeless. You try this, that, and the other, but the outcome is the same and the task seems impossible. It's not!

You can take a photo of your gem so that it looks the way you know it should. All you need are the right tools and the knowledge of how to use them. So let's begin with a good camera and proper lighting.

CAMERA

I've found that it's possible to obtain equally good pictures with either a "regular" film or a digital camera. The better the quality of the camera, the better the picture produced, and fortunately, in today's market you don't need to break the bank to buy a decent camera.

I've been so pleased with my digital that I've completely switched from my film Nikon F2 to shooting all digital, and many of my points here relate to digital photography. I find that a digital camera provides more versatility and greater ease of operation. A great plus is that you can immediately see the results, and if you're not satisfied simply delete the picture and do it over until you are satisfied.

Other useful features include Email Mode, choice of Resolution, Shutter Priority to select a shutter speed such as 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, and so on, Aperture Priority (settings include F2.8, F3.4, etc.), and Macro Mode. The last feature alone will save you a considerable amount of money since you'll no longer need to buy a special macro lens for close-up photography. (I'm referring to these features as they are named for the Sony Cyber-Shot, the camera I used at first, though now I use a Nikon D70S, SLR; most digital cameras use the same or very similar terminology.)

It's also easy to increase or decrease exposure as required in the manual mode; the instructions are in your camera manual. Another benefit is that you can immediately upload your pictures onto your computer and print them yourself on a color printer with considerable savings. I find that the newer digital cameras that have a see-through-lens viewfinder are easier to use than the LCD screens, which are hard to read in a bright light. The resolution is of some importance and will depend entirely on your personal needs and what you intend to do with the photograph afterwards.

Some of the choices on the market today are Sony Cyber-Shot, several Nikon models, Minolta, Canon, and Olympus. As with any kind of electronic equipment today, new developments are constantly in the works.

BASIC SETUP

The setup will require a background of your choice. Some cutters prefer their gems photographed on a black background, others on white. Black will highlight any design on the pavilion. Consider how you want the gem to appear. Do you want to accentuate the transparency, color, brilliance, or some other feature? This will require some experimentation on your part. The typical setup will require a light, a camera, and a tripod.

My preference is to set up a light on each side, at equal distance from the center and at each at 45 degrees to the other in order to cancel out reflection.

Perhaps as a cutter I'm biased on this next point, but most of us would agree that the most important element in gem photography is the gem itself, and the issue of how to set the gem up is critical. I'm sure that everyone struggles with getting the gem to sit properly. I find that a simple gem stand works just fine. Another simple solution is to use one of the gem sorting trays that you can often pick up from gem dealers. The grooves in these trays, made just for placing gems for display, are perfect for holding a gem while it's being photographed.

EXPOSURE

For me, the Auto Mode works best. The camera does a good job on Auto Focus. I set my camera on the highest resolution possible, and the picture quality on Fine. (Please consult you own camera manual for comparable settings.)

If you use the Aperture Priority option on your camera, you will do well to set your aperture to the smallest opening, which is F8. A good time exposure would be 1/3 sec (second). F8 will provide the greatest depth of field for our purpose. Note that Aperture and Shutter Priorities are available only in Manual Mode; all higher-end digital cameras have a manual mode. You will find that you must bring the lens of the camera very close to the gem -- how close you can come will depend on the capabilities of your camera. I photograph as close as 3-1/4 inches. You can shorten the distance as well as enlarge the picture by using a lens magnifier, which can be found in any photo store. Make sure the one you purchase has good quality optics and fits the lens on your camera, as magnifiers come in different sizes.

Film cameras used to come with separate release cables, which would eliminate any shaking, but digitals don't come with these. SLR cameras are the exception. I get around this problem by using time release, a feature every camera should have. All you have to do is to set up your shot to your satisfaction and set the function on time release. Next, press the button and let the camera do its thing. Ten seconds later it will take the picture just the way you set it up.

LIGHTING

The Cloud Dome comes complete, including the dome itself, which eliminates bright spots or reflections, as well as all the stands and pads you'll need, a couple of color-corrected and temperature-balanced fluorescent lights, a reflector, extensions for the dome, background, mounting brackets for both regular and digital cameras, and a nicely designed bag in which all the mentioned items nicely fit. The price is about $500 (U.S., as of 2005) -- a bit steep, but well worth it for having solved a lot of my problems. I've been using it with great success and ease for a while, and it's helped me produce photographs that do my gems justice. But judge for yourself!

With the light set up as described above, you'll need to experiment with some individual stones, since each behaves differently in the light. Cloud Dome takes a lot of the guesswork out of lighting, though, and you may find that you don't need as much light as you may have believed. Because your camera is mounted on a stationary bracket, once you've determined the optimum location for your stone under the dome, you can use it for all the other stones, though some minor corrections may be required.

Shown are just a few samples of what you can do with the set I've described. Please bear in mind that any color correction, cropping, or other modifications can easily be made with Photoshop. For many stones, though, getting the color right is quite problematic. (I've had problems with light or colorless stones, Rubies, some Garnets, Alexandrite's red and green, all the nuances of color in Andalusite that your eye sees, Imperial topaz, Cherry topaz, opaque stones, Opal, and especially Fire Opal.)

Using a light box allows me to provide light from the bottom of the stone, which I find necessary with very dark stones such as dark-green Tourmaline or dark Amethyst. I constructed my own simple light box which is easy and inexpensive to make (total cost, about $10).

The box measures 3-5/8 inches high, 11-1/2 inches long, and 10 inches wide. To make it, I visited a surplus store and there purchased a metal cover from an electronic unit with three open sides, two of which are vented. Venting is important since there is heat buildup from the lights during operation.

I used two pieces of non-transparent plastic to cover the sides. I cut an opening into one of the sidepieces to fit one of the fluorescent lights. I believe it is the best way to go, as the light is already color- and temperature-corrected. On top, I placed a piece of milky white polyethylene plastic. You can also use any other plastic as long as it is translucent.

Everything is put together with small wood screws. I recommend that you first drill pilot holes for these, using a drill bit that is smaller in diameter than the screws.

I found that the best way to use this setup is by placing the light in the back of the light table. If you try to place the light in front, it will get in the way of your camera.

If you're using a film camera, you need to consider a few other things. Here's a brief rundown of them.

For a lens, you'll need a macro lens, probably, a 35 to 60 mm. Try to get a fast lens if possible.

For film, watch out for the grain effect! The lower the ASA, the smaller is the grain. I discovered that 64 ASA resulted in the smallest grain.

Slides or prints? Slides seem to work the best.

As for light, if you're using tungsten bulbs (your everyday bulb), it's best to use tungsten film or slides as well. My preference (when I still used film) was Kodachrome 64 ASA, used with daylight lamps.

(Make sure you set your depth of field to the optimum. This will allow you to see the entire stone without any part out of focus.)

This last point is very important, and should be one of the first and last things you attend to. Make sure to clean your stones very thoroughly before photographing them. I use a brush with a blower that is used for cleaning camera lenses as well as a good, lint-free, stone-cleaning cloth. If you've never tried to photograph your gems before, you might be surprised at how a little speck of lint will seem as big as an elephant in a close-up! u

Boris Kolodny is a gem cutter, jewelry designer, fellow of the Canadian Gemological Association, and a member of the North York Faceting Guild and the U.S. Board of Trade. He has acquired intimate knowledge of gems in over 40 years of experience in jewelry design and manufacture. He can be contacted through his business, Artistic Jewelry Design, or via his Web site at www.artisticjewelrydesign.com.

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If the dome is purchased through this web site you will get a 10% discount on your entire purchase. When ordering from the manufacturer directly please use code - Boris10. The discount will be applied by the order clerk.

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