5 Different Jewelry Background Ideas You Need to Know

Are you on the hunt for the best background for jewelry photography? Are you just starting out your jewelry business and curious to know how to spice up your jewelry images and videos on social media?

Fret not, because we got you covered!

In this post, we will go through five (5) different jewelry background ideas you can use for your next photo shoot. You’ll be surprised how resourceful and creative you can be knowing that you don’t have to restrict yourself to the white background only.

At the end of this post, you should have some fresh ideas that you can implement immediately. Here they are!

Background 1 – White

White is undoubtedly the most used background in jewelry (or any sort of product) photography.

And there is a good reason why. White background images eliminate any distractions and pinpoint your audience’s focus on your subject matter. The result is a clean, professional image. This is especially important when you are trying to sell your jewelry online where 88% of online shoppers’ buying decision is influenced by detailed product content. We even recommend at least 3 white background shots for every piece of jewelry, especially with smaller items such as ring, this way your customers can see your pieces in full detail.

Creating a white background image isn’t too complicated. In fact, you can even photograph your jewelry at home while improvising some of the materials you need. For instance, you can simply layout a white piece of paper or white vinyl backdrop – either will work just fine.

Some of the alternatives you can use are:

• White paper rolls
• DIY lightbox/light tent
• Tripod
• a desk to properly position your jewelry

The hard part comes when removing unwanted shadows (distractions) from your jewelry pieces, removing bad reflections, and seeing or capturing the accurate colors of your stones. That’s when you need to play around with your lighting sources to create a lighting environment suitable for your products. There are many jewelry photography lighting setup ideas you can try depending on the type of jewelry you’re photographing. Whichever lighting technique you choose, always avoid mixing different light sources because they have different temperatures, wavelengths, and intensities that may ruin your photograph.

Overall, feel free to use whatever you have at home that you think will work. In terms of photo editing, you can DIY; however, you may need to undergo an online photo editing tutorial if you’re not technical-savvy. Otherwise, you can outsource your post-production process to third-party photo retouching experts. This will save you more time with guaranteed professional outcomes.

To further help you, we’ve also linked a quick video below on how we capture studio-quality white background images using just our smartphones and GemLightbox. Check it out!

Why use a white background?

If you’re selling jewelry on e-commerce platforms like Amazon, you’ll discover that one of Amazon’s product image requirements is a pure white background. This might be the same for other online jewelry marketplaces. There are many logical reasons for this but most of all, it is consistent, clean, and professional-looking while also eliminating unnecessary distractions that could distract and put off potential buyers.

Background 2 – Black

Second in popularity to white is shooting jewelry against a black background.

A black background is useful in accentuating the reflective surfaces of metals and the rich colors of the gemstones. It creates a subtle yet dramatic look while still maintaining neutrality. You may find that many black background images are associated with luxury products.

Others prefer using a black background because it is much easier to remove unwanted shadows and helps cover up imperfections. Therefore, using a black background makes a great alternative for product shots.

Black backgrounds are relatively easy to obtain from your local hardware store. Look for black plexiglass – a square piece of under 30x30cm is more than enough. When shooting against a black background, you may want to use a combination of white cardboard to reflect light and bring to life your pieces and small mirrors to highlight certain details.

Background 3 – Grey

Grey backgrounds of the lighter shade are used for websites and branding, however, they are used less widely for jewelry compared to white and black backgrounds.

Lighter shades of grey are still relatively neutral and will not draw attention away from the subject matter. This makes it a great alternative to white background images, especially on online marketplaces that use white as their page background. The grey background will help distinguish your products from others.

Grey backgrounds are becoming more increasingly popular for online fashion stores and we may even see the trend move to jewelry.

Background 4 – Patterns, Gradients & Textures

Patterns, gradients, and textures make great backgrounds and add plenty of flair to your jewelry images. They can be incorporated in two ways. You can add your own custom backdrop or edit it in by a professional. Your background should not be overly stimulating or you risk distracting your audience from your jewelry.

Common patterns, gradients, and textures used for jewelry photography include marble, pearl, granite, charcoal and different shades of grey. You do not need to go out of the way to find the actual backgrounds – you can find plenty of backgrounds that are ready to print from the internet or available to purchase from your local arts and crafts store. For the image below, we purchased a pack of 30 patterned papers from K-Mart for under $5!

Here’s another example.

You will find most jewelers will use these backgrounds for one of their final product shots or social media posts.

Background 5 – Branded and Themed

Finally, but not least, many jewelers are using branded and themed backgrounds to establish their own identity on social media. Similar to Background #4, branded and themed backgrounds are designed digitally and printed off to be inserted as a backdrop, or they are edited digitally by a graphic designer. You will find that many savvy jewelers and marketers turn their logos into very subtle patterns.

For themed backgrounds, you are adding many elements to your photo. Remember – the subject matter should always be your jewelry. Avoid overly-distracting props and play around with different filters.

In the image below, we have printed off a background with tools to give the feeling that we’re inside of the goldsmith’s workshop. Notice how the area of focus is the stack of rings.

Bokeh is a popular technique where the subject matter is in full focus while the rest of the background is blurred. Bokeh will help give your jewelry the most attention while enabling your audience to better understand the mood created in the background.

Our advice to you is to pick a theme that resonates with your branding and stick with it. You can only build your brand through consistency. If you decide that you want to change themes, try to make the transition as smooth as possible. A perfect example is how Pandora slowly changes the tonal shades of light pink to salmon-orange over a period of 2 weeks.

So what are you waiting for? Start with your jewelry photography with these fresh ideas today!