Top Jewelry Photography Props and Tools in 2023

jewelry setup

If you’ve ever wondered how jewelry photographers get their shots and want to learn more about how to photograph jewelry, stick around because we’ve compiled a list of the top jewelry photography props and tools to make your jewelry stand out from the rest. 


In the world of e-commerce, if your jewelry photography is shoddy and unappealing, you’ll lose sales and potential customers will move on to a competitor that has their jewelry game together. Use these jewelry photography props, tools, tips, and tricks to take better photos of jewelry and increase your sales.

Jewelry Photography Tools


We’re going to assume that you know about good light, sturdy tripods, macro lenses, and capable cameras, so we won’t include that in our list of tools. The tools listed below are niche tools, well suited for tabletop product photography like jewelry.

The Light Cone x Karl Taylor


This incredibly useful 360-degree light modifier hit the market in September 2022, instantly making the lives of product photographers easier, better, and more efficient. Shiny and highly reflective products immediately became quick and easy to photograph just by placing the Light Cone over the product and externally lighting the cone. You don’t even need fancy studio lights. Desk Lamps will work. Say goodbye to distracting glare and hello to flawless jewelry photography.


The Light Cone x Karl Taylor
gold chain necklace
rolex watch

Speed up your workflow and stop spending time fiddling with hideous jewelry reflections. Make your life as a jewelry photographer effortless and less frustrating by using the Light Cone. This is a jewelry photography tool you won’t want to be without. Learn more about the Light Cone and get one here.

Tabletop V-Flat


Super versatile as a light modifier as well as a backdrop, Tabletop V-Flats bounce light into the shadow areas of your scene and can also subtract light to create a mood. Tabletop V-Flats come in solid black and white, plus three sizes:  small, medium, and large. Each size is handy in its own way and you’ll especially like the large tabletop V-Flat as a smooth, clean backdrop while photographing hanging necklaces and earrings. 


Get all three sizes of the Tabletop V-Flat here.


tabletop v flat
Tabletop V-Flat used here as​​ fill light

Jewelry Stand

Jewelry stand
Jewelry stand images courtesy of Wayfair and House of Hampton.​​
Jewelry stand dims

We’ve found the perfect jewelry photography tool for you to use while shooting necklaces. The hooks on this jewelry stand offer flexibility in how wide you want the v-shape of the necklace chain, while the overall rectangular shape of the stand has enough clearance for most of your jewelry photography needs at 12.6 inches wide and 13.8 inches tall. Set this stand in front of a Tabletop V-Flat backdrop or white paper sweep and you’re good to go.


Note: If the gold finish casts unwanted color on your scene, spray paint the jewelry stand white.


With a jewelry stand and a backdrop, you’re ready to take photos like this:


gold and silver necklaces
Jewelry photography images by Eve Maier (left), Sabrianna (middle), and Andres Vera (right).​​

White Paper Sweep

The Mala Paper Roll from Ikea. Images courtesy of Ikea.​​

At under $5, this roll of paper from Ikea is perfect if you’re working under a budget. The roll is 98 feet long and 17 ¾ inches wide, which is wide enough for shooting jewelry. Use A-clamps and a backdrop stand or tape this paper to the wall and sweep it onto a table for a quick DIY solution. A large piece of white poster board and some tape also works as a DIY sweep.

Fishing Line & Frame + Clips for Hooked-back Earrings


To invisibly hang earrings with hooked backs, use a medium to large self-standing picture frame with fishing wire clipped or taped horizontally across the frame about a third of the way down from the top. Make sure it’s just the frame without any glass or photographs inside the frame. You’re essentially making a mini clothesline to hang earrings from. If you want to vary the hanging height of each earring, rig two fishing lines, one slightly above the other. Make sure you’ve got a nice, non-distracting backdrop behind the frame and shoot away!


Feel free to DIY another stand to hang the fishing line, but an empty photo frame is usually the quickest and most available item. A thick and sturdy piece of pre-cut mat board for photos can act as a frame as well. And if you don’t have fishing line, try dental floss.


Pro tip if you don’t have a frame that can stand on its own: Create a stable base by snapping an A-clamp on the side (and toward the bottom) of any empty frame and you’ve got yourself a self-standing frame.


Cup or Bowl


This jewelry photography tool is so easy, cheap, and ridiculously effective, we had to place it on this list. For flat lays of delicate necklaces, bracelets or chains, use an appropriately-sized round bowl or cup to shape the jewelry. Don’t waste time using your fingers to shape the tiny links of a necklace when a round piece of kitchenware will do it in two seconds.


Just lay the jewelry on your set, grab a bowl or cup, and place it in the middle of the piece, shifting it around until the chain is perfectly rounded and smooth. Done.


White Cotton Gloves


Give your jewelry the white glove service by taking the time to handle it with soft cotton gloves. It’s a simple step that’ll go a long way toward ensuring your jewelry looks its best. Wearing cotton gloves makes it easy to quickly polish the pieces and keeps the jewelry smudge-free and as eye-catching as possible. The cleaner and prettier your jewelry looks, the better your images will be, which correlates to increased sales.


white gloves
Coyaho white cotton gloves from Amazon.​​

Dental/Orthodontic Wax or Poster Putty


Use dental wax or poster putty to position rings upright. Just place a small piece of dental wax on the bottom of the ring and set the ring in place. Super simple and looks great. You can even use dental wax to prop up earrings or to keep other types of jewelry in place on set.


Stand rings upright and get jewelry to stay in place during photoshoots by using dental wax underneath the ring. Left & middle rings by Sabrianna. (Heart ring, right) by Jesus Eca. (Far right) Dentek Wax, frequently used behind the scenes in jewelry photography.​​

Although not as pliable and soft as dental wax, white poster putty also works and has the added benefit of not leaving as many smears and smudges on your shooting surface. 


poster putty
Duck brand removable poster putty, an alternative to dental wax. Use this to stand your rings and other small jewelry upright during photoshoots.​​

Jewelry Photography Props 

These jewelry photography props round out your images and add dimension to the scene.


Now it’s time to let your imagination go free. These jewelry photography props allow your creativity to shine, giving you the chance to play with scale, form, and composition.


Geometric Pieces from Moodelier


You’ll get lost in the world of Moodelier and all the jewelry photography props they have to offer. Their visual designs are perfect for jewelry photographers. You’ll find geometric blocks and shapes of all colors and sizes. So whether you want something simple like their Cube Bundle, something unique like their Arc Bundle, or something completely funky like their Teensy Bundle, your jewelry is guaranteed to stand out with these exceptionally designed photography props.

jewelry props
Jewelry photography props from Moodelier. Left to right: Cube Bundle, Arc Bundle, Teensy Bundle.​​

Florals and Foliage


Dried or fresh, flowers and jewelry are like PB & J. They go together. A quick online search of “jewelry photography” will yield countless images of flowers and plants shot next to rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and more. 


Images by Peng Wang (left) and Arteum Ro (right).​​
rings photograph
Image by Amanda Mocci.​​
Roses and rings
Image by Esther Tuttle.​​

The beauty of using botanicals in your jewelry photography is that you can play with the shadows. The florals don’t even have to make an appearance. Just incorporate their shadow. Use the stems and leaves of a plant to cast designs that add dimension and visual interest to the scene.


Left to right: Images by Sandi Benedicta, Gabrielle Henderson, Evie S, and Nati Melnychuk.​​

Fabric


Fabric is a really easy-to-use and fairly inexpensive jewelry photography prop. Because jewelry is pretty small, you don’t need much fabric and you can grab textiles from around the house. Solid colors work best. Clothing, scarves, throws, cloth napkins, pillow covers, and even wide fabric ribbons are all contenders. Look around and see what catches your eye. Chances are, it’ll work nicely.


fabric
Using a knitted sweater as a jewelry photo prop and background. Image by Deena Englard.​​
Left: Using fabric as a jewelry background. Image by Harper Sunday. Right: Using both florals and fabric as a jewelry photography prop. Image by Svitlana.​​
Image by Gary Yost.​​
Images by Sama Hosseini (left) and Harper Sunday (right).​​
Image by Sabrianna.​​

Natural Materials — Wood, Stone, Water…


Along with florals and foliage, nature provides timeless surfaces to shoot on: wood, slate, marble, etc. Spritz these surfaces with water for another layer of interest. Your local hardware store will carry a variety of natural stone tile to choose from. Or, take a hike into the woods and fields for materials to shoot on.


Rings on stone. Image by Denny Muller.​​
Jewelry on marble. Images by Dillon Kydd (left) and Lina Verovaya (right). For marble surfaces, consider getting a Duo Board.​​
Sapphire and diamond ring on a stone surface. Image by Engin Akyurt.​​
Rings on a wood surface. Image by Estefania Solveyra. For a convincing wood-looking surface, consider getting a Duo Board.​​
Add water for a layer of intrigue in your jewelry photography. Image by Zoriana Stakhniv.​​
Image by Dio Ezar.​​

Duo Boards


Duo Boards are fantastic if you need a quick way to source a variety of surfaces to shoot on. Instead of looking for a piece of marble, get the Onyx Marble/Alpine Marble Duo Board to photograph your jewelry on. The 24”x24” size is plenty of surface area for your jewelry photoshoots, but if you want a large expanse to play on, get the 30”x40”. The Iced Concrete/Midnight Cement Duo Board is also a super versatile surface that goes well with a variety of jewelry. These boards give you two different surfaces on one lightweight board, making it extremely convenient to shoot jewelry.


Browse the entire line of Duo Boards here.


duo boards
food photography
duo boards

Reflective Surfaces


Jewelry props like acrylic surfaces and mirrors add an extra flash of brilliance and shine to your jewelry shoots, playing up the already sparkling quality of the gems and precious metals. 


Diamond bracelet on reflective black surface. Image by Carlos Esteves.​​
engagement ring
Engagement ring on reflective white surface. Image by Jenna Day. ​​
Using mirrors, marble, flowers, and reflective props to shoot jewelry. Images by Ruan Richard Rodrigues (left) and Luigi Pozzoli (right). ​​

Hand Models and Fashion Models


If you’ve got the budget for it, consider a hand or fashion model to display the jewelry. Adding a human element helps customers envision the actual size of the jewelry and what it might look like on their own body.


jewelry model
Images by Dominik Kielbasa (left) and Alexander Krivitskiy (right).​​
hand model
Images by Eric Fung (left) and Brian Asare (right). ​​

Conclusion


Jewelry photography is a specialized niche that requires patience and dexterity. The jewelry photography props and tools outlined here make the business of photographing jewelry much less frustrating and more enjoyable and creative.

To learn more about photography, how to light, and how to shoot products, go to our Behind The Scenes page.


Gear


Shop V-Flat World jewelry photography props and tools:

The Light Cone x Karl Taylor

Tabletop V-Flat

Duo Boards


Wanna Learn More?


We’ve got over a 100 videos on our Behind The Scenes page with tips and tricks for photographers and videographers of all genres. Learn how to light, shoot, and more.

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“I’m really loving how I can turn into a background, use it to fill shadow or add more shadows, and also as a changing room lol. I’m loving it.”

Jefferson L.