A jewellery product page needs to answer the questions a shopper would ask while holding the piece: What does the setting look like? How large is it? How does the metal finish? What will arrive in the box? A beautiful hero image attracts attention; a deliberate set of supporting images helps the customer decide.
This checklist helps jewellery brands, retailers and designers brief an ecommerce shoot and avoid missing images before a collection launch.
1. Give every image a job
- Main product image: show the complete piece with consistent framing and a background suited to your store.
- Alternative angle: reveal depth, the back, the setting or the clasp that the main image cannot show.
- Detail: show the feature that makes the design distinctive, such as an engraving, stone arrangement or metal texture.
- Scale: use an appropriate worn image or accurate dimensions alongside the photography. A close-up alone can make a small piece appear much larger.
- Movement, where useful: a short jewellery product film can show how light moves across a surface or how an earring hangs.
You do not need the same number of photographs for every product. Choose views that explain each design, then keep the sequence consistent across similar products.
2. Build a shot list before the jewellery arrives
Create a spreadsheet with the SKU, product name, metal, stone colour, required views, destination and priority. Match filenames to the SKU so your ecommerce team can identify the finished assets without opening every image.
For a ring, consider a three-quarter hero, a side profile showing setting height, an overhead view of the stone arrangement and an accurate scale reference. For earrings, check whether the photograph shows a single item or the pair being sold. For necklaces, include the pendant detail and a view that explains the chain and clasp.
3. Agree the finish with references
Send a few examples of the lighting, background, crop and shadow you want. Explain which details matter and which examples you do not want copied. Approving the visual direction on a representative item can reduce inconsistent results across a larger collection.
Polished metal still needs reflections to look like metal. Removing every reflection can flatten the form. Gemstone colour and visible design details should remain faithful to the product. Retouching should clean the presentation rather than disguise what the customer is buying.
4. Plan sharpness and colour deliberately
Macro jewellery photography can leave parts of a piece outside the plane of focus. Focus stacking combines captures focused at different distances when the subject and setup suit it. The result still needs inspection around claws, fine chains and stone edges.
Provide accurate product information and flag colour-sensitive stones before the shoot. Screen settings and lighting affect how colour appears, so product descriptions and clear specifications remain important alongside the photographs.
5. Specify the files your website needs
Ask your web team for the image ratio, pixel dimensions, zoom requirements and naming convention before delivery. Keep high-resolution originals separately from web exports. Use appropriately sized, compressed website images rather than uploading print files directly.
Write descriptive alternative text for informative images, such as “yellow gold ring, side view showing a raised claw setting”. Describe what the image shows. Avoid repeating a sales phrase or a location keyword in every image.
6. Check the product page on a phone
Before launch, check that images open, zoom works, fine detail remains visible and the important part of the piece survives the mobile crop. Confirm that the images match the selected product variant. A fast page with the wrong metal colour is still a poor customer experience.
What to send Fine Jewellery Images
Send your SKU list, item count, required views, example images, intended platforms and launch date. Tell us whether you need jewellery photography, retouching of existing images, film or a combination. We can discuss a scope suited to the work you actually need.
Discuss your jewellery shoot or read our questions to ask a jewellery photographer before comparing quotes.