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Capturing The Sparkle

Just had a question from a reader, and thought I'd share it for everyone who photographs crystal.

Here's the question:
"Hi! I purchased your CD on Easy Auction Photography and have been going through it. You recommended getting a photo softbox shooting cube to eliminate shadows in photography and to get good photos.
I'm a jewelry designer and have paid out lots of money to photographers for photos of my jewelry, and have spent hours trying to capture good photos myself -- haven't found anything I'm happy with between the photographers and mine. Arg!
I design with semi-precious stones and Swarovski crystals and they can be a challenge to shoot. If I purchased a softbox cube, would the sparkle of the crystals come through?
What do you recommend?
One of my goals is to eliminate shadows but I also need those crystals to sparkle. ....."
Answer:
Yes, using soft/diffused lighting will help bring out the natural beauty of the crystals - however it will also dull the sparkle you are looking for.
Photographers use a couple of techniques to capture a sparkle when using diffused lighting.
One is putting a starlight filter on the camera lens. Of course, you'd have to have a DSLR camera which allows for filters.
The other technique used is a third light. In photo talk this is referred to as a 'sparkle' light - pretty technical sounding - LOL. If you are using a eTent the sparkle light is placed in front of the tent to capture the
sparkle. This technique takes a little practice - finding just the right spot to capture the sparkle. It is easier to do if you have your camera on a tripod and your hands are free to move the light around as you look though the LCD display.