Essential Props for Styling a Jewelry Photo Like a Pro
If you follow us on our socials, you may be familiar with the daily photos of our inventory that we love to share. We keep our office stocked with all kinds of items to add to flat lays and to adorn the backgrounds of our jewelry photography. Heidi, our Social Media Coordinator, and myself (Jess, Photographer & Digital Marketer) appreciate having so many colors and textures available to us as we look for the best ways to compliment the vintage beauty of the pieces in our shop. We know that a lot of our friends and customers have the same appreciation for an aesthetically-pleasing photo of jewelry and often look for ways to show off their own #MyMaejeanJewel in a good photo, so we thought we’d share a little love for some of the other small businesses that we get a few of our favorite props from!
Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links to a few Etsy shops, which means we may receive a commission if you choose to make a purchase from Etsy through these links. Any commission we get is at no extra cost to you. Please know that all of our opinions about these products are true and genuine - we wouldn’t steer you wrong!
These sweet silk ribbons are probably our favorite props we’ve found on Etsy! PaperieandSilk has several colors to choose from and the soft tones in these ribbons are perfect for our vintage aesthetic. These make a wonderful and colorful backdrop or border to a flat lay and often provide just the right amount of texture to a photo without distracting from the jewelry. The cute wooden spool that the ribbons come on is a rustic bonus!
Fresh flowers never disappoint us when we’re looking for props around the office! We are happy to support a local florist in the Lancaster area, Fulton Street Flora, by taking advantage of their biweekly flower arrangement subscription. These deliveries to our office every two weeks mean we always have fresh flowers in different colors to shoot with!
We also love to use fresh flowers from our own personal gardens. Many of the members of the Maejean team love plants and gardening, so they have a surplus of flowers to bring in from their own homes. Those of us taking photos never complain about a new arrangement popping up on someone’s desk mid-week!
One of the best ways to get a good photo of a ring, other than a top-down flat lay, is a straight-on photo on a ring holder! We have a marble cone from CraftMonkees that matches so well with some of the marble and faux-marble surfaces in our office space, and a set of gold cones from AnnabelleTaylorCo for a different kind of look. We love being able to set these up in front of all sorts of backdrops. From stacking rings one on top of the other to featuring one statement ring front and center, these classy holders offer so many options!
PaperieandSilk also created our newest jewelry photo prop, some simple handmade clay dishes! Sometimes all we need to add to a photo is an unadorned little tray for some delicate pendants or chains. The handmade-with-love textures in these dishes provide a simple backdrop to some not-so-simple fine jewelry, and paired with other props give off a beautiful homey aesthetic that we absolutely adore!
We have a seemingly never-ending supply of cool vintage and antique photographs at MJV headquarters! While a few may picture actual ancestors of MJV staff, most of them were found in thrift and antique shops. There is something fascinating about old photographs that each and every one of us appreciates, and we love the idea that we can honor the memory of the people in these photos by sharing them lovingly alongside the vintage jewelry that we so cherish. We love the mystery and romance that these stoic faces from the past add to the ambiance in our jewelry photography!
We’re always on the lookout for unique vintage ring boxes and ring trays to add to our collection. A super pretty corner of our office is dedicated to a display of all of our favorite vintage boxes that we’ve found throughout the years. Our collection includes everything from tiny Victorian ring boxes and jewelry caskets, to colorful Art Deco ring boxes, to retro heart-shaped boxes, to our own plush MJV boxes. There is no shortage of shapes, sizes, and colors in our ring boxes available to choose from when we’re styling a photo!
We’re always on the lookout for unique vintage ring boxes and ring trays to add to our collection. A super pretty corner of our office is dedicated to a display of all of our favorite vintage boxes that we’ve found throughout the years. Our collection includes everything from tiny Victorian ring boxes and jewelry caskets, to colorful Art Deco ring boxes, to retro heart-shaped boxes, to our own plush MJV boxes. There is no shortage of shapes, sizes, and colors in our ring boxes available to choose from when we’re styling a photo!
While the pieces of jewelry in our shop are so beautiful on their own, we absolutely love to share more artistic looks of them on other channels. If you love what you see here and would like to see more daily vintage jewelry inspiration, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Don’t forget to tag @MaejeanVintage and #MyMaejeanJewel when you get photos of your own special purchases from our shop - we love to see our customers get creative and it makes our day when you share photos of your MJV pieces in their new homes!
— Jess Lynne 💖