Why are bracelets so hard to photograph?

Phew! I have finally finished my Blue Topaz Swirl Bracelet. I started it at Christmas and was all fired up about it - I even worked on it on Christmas Day during a moment of quiet (there weren't many I can assure you!). For some reason though it had sat unfinished for a couple of weeks now whilst I got on with other things. It is based on my Labradorite Swirl Bracelet I made last spring. I kept this one for myself and have had quite a few compliments, so I thought it was about time I made another with a different gemstone. I chose a light coloured stone this time - very light blue topaz for an icy winter's day.

Using the labradorite bracelet and my previous sketches and notes, I actually found it quite easy to replicate and was determined to make the new bracelet better than the first one, which has quite a few scratches from my pliers and the wire is quite dented in places (another reason I kept it for myself). This time I made up the swirls and tumbled them in my jeweller tumbler to remove any scratches and I also tried to be much neater with my wire wrapping to hold the swirl links together.

Anyway, to the main point of this post - why are bracelets so hard to photograph? I spent ages this morning placing the bracelet on different surfaces looking for the best angles. It was hard to take a picture of the whole bracelet without either being too far away and losing detail or having part of it out of focus. It also didn't help that it was very grey and misty here and I always take my photos in natural light. However, I did find my new gorilla tripod very useful. This was an excellent Christmas present from my husband and really helps me keep the camera steady as I move around. It has very grippy, bendy legs and is easy to manipulate into lots of different positions. I think these photos are the best I can take in the light that's available but might try again on a brighter day.