We’ve all experienced it…a customer wants to see a picture of a gemstone or jewelry design ASAP. But you have no camera, no light box and no professional photographer…so the next best thing is your cell phone camera, right?

Then for nearly 15 minutes you incessantly try to take photo after blurry photo while zooming, futzing with settings, trying new apps, and running from inside to outside hoping lighting will improve your situation.

Once you finally think you’ve got a decent picture…your frustration grows as you skim through countless out-of-focus shots that don’t properly represent your product…all while your impatient client is refreshing their inbox every two minutes and calling to say “Where is that photo I asked for?”

So, before you pull out any more hair, take a deep breath and relax as we show you what’s sure to become a trick of the jewelry trade! And all you need is your cell phone and a loupe!

Grab your cell phone and loupe to take some quick and crisp shots!

For demonstration in this blog we used an iPhone, but we also tested with a BlackBerry and Samsung Droid with pretty good results (see end of blog for sample shots).

We’re warning you, this is not an exact science, but with some practice and a steady hand, the results are pretty amazing considering it’s a cell camera. And when it’s all said and done, this method should give you a decent, in focus photo, which better represents your product.

Step 1: Grab your phone and bring the lens of the loupe directly up to the lens of your phone’s camera (we’ve found the bigger the loupe, the better). The loupe and the phone should touch and be flush against one another.

Hold the loop close to your camera lens.

Back view of the loupe flush against the iPhone camera lens.

Step 2: Bring the phone and the loupe as close to the gemstone as it allows while remaining focused. If you think you’re close to the stone but aren’t getting focus, get closer…the loupe will almost be touching what you’re photographing (about 3/8″ away). For better lighting, you can use an LED light-up loupe, but that also takes some playing around because it can cause reflections.

Get very close to the stone.

As you position your shot, you may see an out-of-focus portion of the loupe. Do your best to move the phone and loupe back and forth until the least amount appears. If you end up having a bit of the loupe edges in the photo, you can always crop them out later by using cropping apps like Crop for Free or photo editing software on your desktop.

A sample screen shot of how it looks on your phone as you work to get your shot in focus.

Step 4: Now slightly move the loupe and phone in conjunction until the focus block (the little square that flashes telling you “Hey, I’m in focus!”) shows up (or whatever you phone does to let you know it’s focusing). The movement you’ll be making is basically the same as when you focus with your eye through a loupe.

Play with your positioning until the focus block shows up to guarantee a crisp shot.

Step 5: Once you have your shot perfectly positioned, steady your hands and snap your pic. With a little maneuvering and a few tries you’ll be amazed at the quality of your cell-loupe photo. Then instantly email or message the client your sharp gemstone shot!

Be a hero when you send a great picture fast!

Here are a few comparisons shots we took while snapping up this blog:

Pink sapphire oval shot with iPhone. Left side taken without loupe, right side taken with loupe method.

Left side of sapphire and diamond ring photographed without loupe on iPhone, right side is with loupe.

Left is a fancy peach sapphire without loupe on a BlackBerry. The right is with the loupe.

There’s also a quick youtube phone video recorded through a loupe, but this guy’s marveling at a mosquito sucking his blood versus a beautiful blood-red ruby. Happy cellouping!

We’d like to give a quick shout-out to Troy from Liberty Diamonds for showing us this useful trick! Thanks Troy!

1. Color Is Personal

When selling colored gemstones, remember that color is very personal. People are drawn to certain colors or shades that fit their personality or taste. For instance Sapphires come in all shades and even colors. Someone may prefer a light blue to a “royal” blue, even though the royal blue may be a more expensive and traditional color. Or maybe their birthstone is sapphire, but they don’t like blue! That’s why it’s important to let them know that most gemstones can come in a variety of different colors and shades.

Color is Personal

2. Color is a Powerful Psychological Trigger

Color creates strong emotions, which can sometimes mean the difference between loosing or making that sale, so you need to know the basics associations people make with certain colors. Reds have association with love, warmth, excitement and passion. Blues evoke feelings of power, professionalism, trustworthiness and calmness. Greens remind people of nature, life and money. Oranges bring feelings of affordability, creativity, fun and youth, while purples conjure royalty, luxury, fantasy and dreams. Since you’ve learned more about the personality of your customer by following the first step above, you can think of the emotions equated and better judge which color matches with their personality.

Color is a Powerful Psychological Trigger

3. More Rare Than Diamonds

Let your customers know that because gemstones are gathered from all corners of the world, each is a unique creation that brings with it a rich history blending the mystery of nature with the skill of man. When selling a colored stone or gemstone jewelry design, sell the fact that it is very unique and the color is everlasting.

Gemstones come from all corners of the world and are more rare than diamonds.

4. Don’t Be Afraid of Treatments

Be honest and straightforward about treatments and if you aren’t sure, you should ask your supplier. We all know that today’s consumer does more research and takes the time to educate himself or herself before they walk into your store. Most consumers are fine with treatments or enhancements in colored stones, but if they are not informed of it, they may feel they have been mislead. In fact, it is required by law to disclose any treatments to colored gemstones or gemstone jewelry. Remember that an informed buyer is a confident buyer and a confident buyer is a comfortable customer. There are many resources you can check, including this AGTA video on disclosure: http://agta.org/videos/2011disclosure.mp4 or you can always call AGTA or us for specific questions.

Don't be Afraid of Treatments

5. Tell a Story About the Gem

Gemstones tell wonderful stories and can take you on a journey to an exotic location or a journey through time. When you gaze into a gem, you are seeing the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro or even ancient Egypt. Here are just a few of my favorite stories from the amazing world of gemstones:

Spinel: The British Crown Jewels contain some of the most famous and valuable gemstones in the world. One of the most famous gems in the world is the “Black Prince Ruby,” A 170-carat red gemstone set in the center of the Imperial State crown. If you have ever had the privilege of viewing this beautiful gem, you know its red glows as if on fire. But the Black Prince Ruby isn’t actually a ruby at all! It’s a fine red spinel. Throughout history, red spinel has been confused with ruby because it can be similar in color and is usually mined in the same areas. Spinel can be found in a variety of different colors with shades of red or blue being the most desirable. The most well known historical location for red spinel is Mogok, Burma and spinel of many colors have been found in Sri Lanka. Today new deposits of gem-quality spinel have been found around the world, including Tanzania. Despite spinel’s similarity to ruby, it’s more rare and, surprisingly, more affordable. That makes it particularly interesting to the collectors that know its story.

Paraiba Tourmaline: Tourmaline is another stone that can be found in a variety of different colors. Almost all of these varieties can be found in Brazil. In 1989 the most rare and expensive of all tourmaline was discovered in the state of Paraiba, in Brazil. These stunning neon blue and green stones soon became known as Paraiba Tourmaline. They owe their vivid blue and green coloration to trace amounts of copper found within them. Paraiba tourmaline is generally quite included, finding a clean one is rare in any size, but especially over one carat. Recently there has been a new discovery of tourmaline in Mozambique. This variety of tourmaline also contains copper and produced gemstones similar in color to Paraiba tourmaline. These new Mozambique tourmalines are not as saturated and vivid as the Paraiba material but are still very beautiful and unique, supplying the market with larger and cleaner versions that were previously not available. There has been much debate in the industry about whether or not these new copper-bearing tourmalines should be called “Paraiba” tourmaline. Gems from both regions are beautiful so it’s more a case of availability and personal taste.

The “Black Prince Ruby,” A 170-carat red gemstone set in the center of the Imperial State crown is actually a Spinel.

6. Show Celebrities Wearing Color

Colored gemstones are very popular in current celebrity fashion and bridal. The popularity of this new trend can be attributed to the recent actions of a few celebrities, most notably Kate Middleton.The princess-to-be was proposed to by Prince William and was presented with Princess Diana’s heirloom ring. This ring features a brilliant 18 carat blue sapphire center stone surrounded by 14 colorless diamonds. Some other celebrities that are using colored gems in their engagement rings are Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson whose engagement ring has a 4 carat oval shaped ruby flanked by two diamonds. Many brides to be are rushing to get their own custom made rings with colored gems. Color is also hot on the red carpet! Check out some celebrity color trends here:

http://addmorecolortoyourlife.com/jewelryfashion/the-2011-emmy-awards.asp

http://jewelry01.blogspot.com/2011/09/2011-emmy-awards-jewelry-roundup-red.html

Jessica Simpson shows off her ruby engagement ring.

7. Ask Omi Gems!

We are always here to help if you need to close a sale! We have 5 generations in the gemstone business with over 75 years of combined experience. We can provide articles, insight, images of both rough and finished gems and mining areas, as well as advice about treatments or certification. We are even happy to speak with your clients directly. Feel free to call us anytime at 877.OMI.GEMS or email us at color@omigems.com.