The Littoral #51 combines green-blue Turquoise and white freshwater Pearls in a different sequence on each earring. A close-up shows the dark markings on one stone.
The photographs show the pair from different angles. Handling or wearing it would add sensations the images cannot convey. We use analog jewelry here much as we use analog dressing: with an interest in how something feels and moves when worn.
Why jewelry looks different in photos
A close crop can make one bead fill much of the screen. In the view of the whole pair, the same bead is seen alongside the Pearls and the other earring.
Lighting, camera distance, and angle affect the view as well. A dark marking that stands out in a detail image may be hard to distinguish in the worn photograph.
The Littoral's recorded total length is approximately 60 mm, or 2.4 inches. Knowing that length helps when judging the size of earrings in photos. A worn photograph shows how it sits on one person; the photograph of both earrings makes their different bead sequences easier to compare.
Turquoise and freshwater Pearls are the materials listed in the piece's record. A photograph shows color and pattern, but cannot establish a stone's identity or treatment history.
The surfaces that meet the body
On a carved pendant, the decorated front may draw the eye while the back rests against the body. A cord tucked out of sight can still be felt at the neck.
The texture of handmade jewelry varies with its materials and finish; the word handmade alone says little about how it will feel.
A photograph cannot tell us how jewelry feels against the skin: the pressure of a fastening, the touch of a cord at the neck, or the way a pendant settles as it is worn.
The next turn of the head
A still photograph holds the earrings in one position. The next turn of the head could change the angle of one drop relative to the other.
Real footage would help show how earrings move when worn. For The Littoral, that would mean filming the actual pair as the wearer moves. Its three still photographs leave that motion unrecorded.
Our guide to handcrafted jewelry looks at the materials and construction behind a finished piece. A pendant's back or the point where a cord meets a clasp can be worth photographing, even when the decorated front first catches the eye.
About the Author
Yifeng Tao is the founder and sole maker of à la luck. Her Journal writing considers materials, handwork, and what an image can reasonably tell us about a piece.