CAROLEE

     Carolee (http://www.carolee.com) figured it out--sweets are just as much a decadent pleasure for the tongue as jewels are to the eye.  Now to translate that knowledge into a series of photographs...that's a different story.  We know that cake pops, rock candy, and cupcakes fresh from Magnolia bakery get our sweet tooth excited, simply judging by the countless experiences with those various forms of refined sugar, but how many times have we actually scrutinized the application of icing on our cupcake, or the even layer of sprinkles on that cake pop we decided to get on a whim while waiting on line at Starbucks?  Who cares?  After all it's not necessarily about what the damn thing looks like; it's about the sugar rush you are chose to indulge in.

     Too bad we're in the business of photography, and jewelry photography at that.  Our clients are expecting perfection and consequently so are we.  It all looks delicious upon first glance--the bags of multi-colored rock candy, box of liberally frosted cupcakes, silly-looking cake pops--but then you realize that you're supposed to be regarding these tasty treats as if they were jewelry.  After a while you really can't help but be visually critical of each piece because well, it's a shoot and that cupcake's purpose has shifted.  It doesn't matter if it tastes like soot so long as it makes the stones on those earrings pop off the printed page.  We add in the sensory information from our past experiences anyway, but it has to begin with a fresh, captivating image.  Luckily we have a ton of experience with that.

Just to be fair to the cupcakes and their intended purpose when they were born in the bakery, we did give them a chance to prove themselves to our taste buds at the end of the day.  Not bad.

Amethyst

Happy Birthday to all the February babies out there.  After a month of checking out all the deep, blood red garnet pieces by some of our favorite jewelers like Mimi So and Thistle & Bee, we have moved on to appreciate the range of color characteristic to February's birthstone, amethyst.  Whether you prefer your gem to be a dainty lilac or a rich purple hue, you can rest assured that somewhere in the world the Earth's intricate geological processes produced an amethyst with the precise shade of purple you're seeking.

Or at least we can hope and idealize.  But until you find that perfect hunk of rock that's been turned into a polished and cut stone, you can celebrate your February birthday by looking through the host of amethyst pieces provided by jewelry companies across the board.  We'll help you in your search by sharing some of our favorite clients' amethyst pieces throughout the month.

We shot some Thistle & Bee merchandise a few days ago and noticed some sweet, refined amethyst pieces make it in front of our camera.  These are older shots that we have pictured here, but no less deserving of recognition, we think.