taking photos of a peridot. Help!

[redfaerythinker]

So I just got a gorgeous peridot in the mail today... and I can''t take any good pictures. The camera shows the color to be really dark with huge zoning and won''t pick up the windmill or the facets or anything. I have never a stone defeat me before. It''s just weird. Also... is it normal for a peridot to have drastic changes in shade with regard to different lighting conditions? Cause this one can be pure apple green to apple green with some yellow flashes indoors, but takes on a more olivey tone when I put it near a window. It''s a very strange stone. Maybe it has multiple personality disorder? Thoughts?

 

[fierypyropixy]

Are you talking about the asscher (I''m guessing b/c of the windmill comment) you posted a little while ago?

 

[D&T]

yeah, I know what you mean, my one peridot doesn''t photograph well either, but its a portuguese cut. However it is stunning I think, but photos don''t do it justice.

 

[Michael_E]

Date: 10/9/2009 12:30:48 PM
Author:redfaerythinker
So I just got a gorgeous peridot in the mail today... and I can''t take any good pictures. The camera shows the color to be really dark with huge zoning and won''t pick up the windmill or the facets or anything. I have never a stone defeat me before. It''s just weird. Also... is it normal for a peridot to have drastic changes in shade with regard to different lighting conditions? Cause this one can be pure apple green to apple green with some yellow flashes indoors, but takes on a more olivey tone when I put it near a window. It''s a very strange stone. Maybe it has multiple personality disorder? Thoughts?

The more experience you have the more times you will be defeated by a stone...initially. With most stones the problem is that you have to get so close with the camera that the camera blocks the light needed to give a good shot. The fix ? Take a sheet of white paper, cut a hole the size of a nickle in the center of it and shoot through the hole with the stone held in a fixed position. This will reflect light from the paper back into the stone and the small hole size will mask your head and camera to prevent "head shadow". Play around with different backgrounds and amounts of light bouncing off the paper and you''ll soon be getting much better shots.

The changes in color in any gem are mostly due to the color entering them, (except for distinct color changing stones). Take a clear stone, use blue paper instead of white paper as explained above and your stone will be blue, (a very good way to "add" color to an aquamarine by the way...I think that''s how a lot of unscrupulous sellers dress up there shots without resorting to Photoshop). Whatever is behind and around you will reflect back at you from the stone and all stones will selectively remove some colors and pass others. Add to that the effects of dispersion and it can seem like a free for all as far as light coming from the stone is concerned. Try the hole in the paper deal and see how that works for you.