Two diamonds composited together from two individual photos showcasing lovely faceting and fire. A diamond’s beauty lies in its sparkle. The main challenge when photographing the stone is capturing and showing off that natural brilliance. In this project, we’ll shoot loose diamonds against a black background.

A diamond is basically a translucent, prismatic, glass-like object that refracts light. It’s the cut of the diamond that determines the pattern of refracted light and the type of lighting required for the optimal photographic effect.

Some photographers prefer constant lighting because they can quickly see the effect of the light. Others wrap diffusion paper around the stone in a cone like-fashion, pointing lights directly at the subject and also using a multi-LED bulb, such as the Dazzler, to achieve the “fire” effect in a diamond (the flecks of light). Personally, I prefer using my conventional lighting system—strobes, softboxes, or bare lights with reflectors and grids. I think you should be able to get the “fire” from a diamond using these tools alone.

Let’s get started: First, wear gloves. Medical-style latex gloves work well, but any lint-free substitute will do. With gloved hands, inspect the diamond and remove any oils, fingerprints, and dust. I recommend a standard jewelry cleaner with a quick rinse under water. The less retouching we have to do in post-production, the better.

Next, place the diamond on a black Plexiglass surface. In the example above, I have placed them pointing to off-center for a non-standard diamond shot.

Now, we need to look at our light sources. Let’s compare non-diffused light (using the Sun as an example) with diffused light (clouds) on diamonds. On a cloudless sunny day, a diamond will sparkle with all its might, producing the “fire” effect. On a cloudy day, a diamond will be duller and whiter, showing less “fire”. Photographically speaking, we generally want a little of both. Too much “fire” obscures the shape, while too much diffusion loses the life of the stone.