AJ Raefields Blog

Here’s a cute story.
A man buys a Laurie vintage jewelry name pendant from us. Today he e-mails us and tells us about how he is going to embed it in a guitar and give it to his daughter. How adorable.
This is just one example of how vintage jewelry can be used in other ways. I […]

Our www.bakelitejohnnys.com store has just published an article on how to test vintage plastic jewelry to see if it is Bakelite. Really great article. Take some tiem to read it: http://www.squidoo.com/bakelitejewelry/ It explains the basic characteristics of Bakelite as well as the many different tests (409, Simichrome, Scrubbing Bubbles, Hot Water).

Here are a few helpful hints when photographing people.  This can also apply to many other photographic subjects such as jewelry, animals, still-life.
1. Be aware of your lighting. Is the sun really bright? Be careful or your subject will be dark if the sun is behind them.  Use an outdoor film with a slower film […]

After you take a picture, the image often changes color once uploaded to your computer.  The images may have a greenish cast or may be slightly dark.  To edit, crop and fix some of these picture, you need a good photo program.  We  highly suggest Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Photoshop Elements. These programs are a great […]

With vintage trends being so popular in the last several years, we have acquired a variety of accessories besides jewelry. These accessories include vintage hats, purses, hat stick pins, and shoe clips.  In a recent article in April’s issue of Glamour, we discovered that having your own style is the way to go! Try wearing vintage […]

 Here are a few jewelry fixing basics that I (sarah, the jewelry fixing girl, here at raefields) have picked up while working here.  I hope you can use them when fixing a piece of your own jewelry.
 RHINESTONES
Never submerge any piece of jewelry with rhinestones in water, cleaner or alcohol. It mess it up, even if […]

Are you trying to photograph a tiny mark on a piece of jewelry, or a small flaw?  Well, if your camera does not have a macro setting, or if it just won’t capture what you want, you can photograph through a magnifying glass or a loop.  This works surprisingly well!  If you hold your camera […]

Create your own “Look for Less”! We have several ideas for you to incorporate into your everyday wardrobe.  A much less expensive way to have style wihtout buying designer accessories that empty your pockets and leave them dry as a bone! 
Check out these ideas:
1. Accessories for the hair should be more popular! We just don’t seem to […]

Are you trying to photograph a piece of jewelry, but can’t seem to get the correct color?  Well, you may want to consider changing the color of the background you are using.  I find that using complementary colors often helps capture the correct colors.  Check out the color wheel below.
 
This wheel is a great reference […]

There is a recent discussion on Jewel Collect, attempting to figure out what surfaces are best to photograph on.  At AJ Raefields, we have discovered some great ways to get awesome colors and details in our photographs.  We use a great Fujifilm digital camera, which allows us to get up close to capture the detail.  We […]