solitaire ring with a long sunlit shadow.

Shot from directly above in hard, low morning sun, so the solitaire throws a long shadow across the linen with the band, prongs and stone all traced in silhouette. The shadow does as much work as the ring. It repeats the shape at twice the size and reads unmistakably as sunlight, which gives the picture a warmth a softbox wouldn't. Hard light is usually a problem for jewelry because it puts hot spots on polished metal, but at a low angle it mostly skims the band. The ring sits in the upper half of the frame to leave room for the shadow below. It's a strong image for social posts and banners, and less suited to a first marketplace image, where at thumbnail size the shadow can be mistaken for part of the piece.