Daniel Ballards Jewelry Photography

The Most Difficult Items

2011-08-13T22:56:00.000-07:00

Some shapes are just difficult by nature. So we work up specific metals to help. Like this deox silver. I took this to help illustrate what is possible to reliably cast in modern deox (tarnish resistant) silver. There has been no finishing. This was cast, quenched and steamed off. That is all. No pickle, no stripping, no tumbling.

Spectacular Yet Routine

2011-05-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

Jewelers size rigns all the time, it's a staple skill. But if you look close there is a beauty to the act itself. Now lasers are common and just no fun to watch at all. Nor is the electric and eclosed casting machine. So as the open flame era begins to fade I offer the occaisional display of the spectacular old school way.

Silver Goblet, Grain & Jewelry

2010-05-16T07:46:00.000-07:00

Special Sterling Silver Sugarbowl

2010-05-12T21:08:00.000-07:00

Usually a piece like this is made by an artist for it's own sake. This sugar bowl & goblet are really demonstration pieces to show what can be done with this very special sterling silver that contains platinum family additions to the alloy.

Flawless Flames

2010-04-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

Carbon free combustion. Pure heat meets pure gold.

The Gemological Institute Of America Alumni Tour

2010-04-10T19:25:00.000-07:00

Each year the gold refinery for Precious Metals West/Fine Gold opens it's doors for a very special day. We invite a number of students and staff from GIA in to see real gold refining, casting, wire making and sheet making. These young students, literally a piece of the future of the jewelry industry get to see where all those diamonds and precious stones they know so well are going.

Close Up

2010-02-28T21:40:00.000-08:00

Watch back side

2010-02-28T21:38:00.000-08:00

Watch Works

2010-02-28T17:36:00.000-08:00

950 Palladium For Jewelry

2010-01-31T20:45:00.000-08:00

Any Color You Like

2009-09-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

An homage to Pink Floyd and the jewelry trade around my home town Los Angeles

Go beyond Green

2009-09-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

Rare Cats Eye Opal

2009-08-12T06:55:00.000-07:00

Brazilian Opal

2009-08-11T20:27:00.001-07:00

A fine quality double cut Brazilian Opal cut by Joe Callari. I used HDR to show this stone at it's best. Six images stacked and rendered.

Hall Of Mirrors

2009-07-07T11:33:00.000-07:00

Cubic Zirconia has a higher refractive index than even diamond. This makes for a tough shot. I kept a couple facets hot for contrast. Three polarized light sources combined with multiple exposures via HDR techniques. The result was the prismatic Hall Of Mirrors.

Opal Photography

2009-07-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

Shot with a Canon 40d, with the 28-125MM lens. It is edited for detail and color.

Mokume Gane

2009-07-06T22:22:00.000-07:00

My friend Chris Ploof is an accomplished designer and jeweler. http://www.chrisploof.com/
This shot shows how layers of precious metals are fused to make Mokume Gane or "wood grain" patterns in precious metals like gold and platinum.

60 Ct Diamond

2009-07-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

A friend in the diamond trade had this magnificent 60 ct flawless heart shape diamond. This stone is certain to be famous when someone super rich buys it. I had literally only 30 minutes and a bad lighting situation. This is making the baest of a tough shot-With fire from a gold refinery I work for.

Platinum Castimg Machine

2009-07-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

This is from a postcard I photographed and designed for the company.

Thai Silver & Pearls

2009-07-06T22:14:00.000-07:00

Ring Glamour Shots

2009-07-06T20:38:00.000-07:00