WHAT PHOTO SHOULD I CHOOSE FOR MY PHOTO-GEMS PENDANT? (See our Photos for Lockets page for help with selecting a photo for a locket purchase.) The best pictures for Photo-Gems jewelry are snapshot-type photos similar to the ones you see on this website.  "Headshot" or head-and-shoulders pictures where everyone is close together really look great.  With 2 or more people it is important to have them pose close together, "cheek to cheek" if possible.  Family reunion shots of the whole gang are now possible with our Premium Photo-Gems Pendants with our new larger lens design.  If you are taking a multiple person photo specifically for a Photo-Gems pendant purchase, try to get all of the faces as close together as possible arranged inside the smallest imaginary circle.  (See photos below.)  OR send us your favorite photo of each person you want in your pendant and we'll create a custom collage.  (See photo to the right.)  Basic digital editing services are included with each order so creating your custom collage is usually free of charge.  We can also email you an electronic "proof" of your custom image for your approval before we process your order. If in doubt, you may send us several photos and we'll let you know which one will look best.

WHAT KINDS OF PHOTOS SHOULD I AVOID? We cannot use copyrighted photographs without written permission from the photographer.  You may use our Copyrighted Photo Release Form or have your studio fax their standard form to 803-548-9782.  Some photo studios will be happy to release your photo free of charge to you when you explain that our product is something that they do not sell.  Other studios may charge a fee ranging from $5 to $25 for a one-time use release.  If you would like our help securing a photo release from your studio on your behalf, please email us any details about your photo session you have and we'd be happy to help. We do request that you refrain from sending us photos that contain nudity or other questionable content.  We retain the right to refuse any photos for any reason.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD AN INSCRIPTION OR TITLE TO YOUR PHOTO? If you have access to your own photo editing software, you can do this yourself so that it looks exactly as you would like it to.  Or, simply type your text into any of our "Any Special Instructions?" boxes in our secure shopping cart when placing your order.  We strongly recommend that you keep your text as short as possible so that it does not detract from your photo.  If we have any concerns that your text is too long, we'll contact you with suggestions before we process your order.  Adding text to your photo is free! HOW DO I SEND DIGITAL PHOTOS? We can accept digital photos in most formats, but we prefer JPEG (*.jpg).  If you are using a digital camera, use your highest resolution setting.  If you are using a scanner, please scan your photo at 800 dpi (600 dpi is fine if your photo is an 8"x10").  If the portion of the photo you want to use is a small portion of your photo, you may need to scan at 1200 dpi or more.  An ideal digital image for us is roughly 2000 x 2000 pixels after it has been cropped.  We can and do successfully produce images with smaller digital files all the time and can work with you to get the image you need.  If in doubt, just send us the highest quality image you have, and we will help you from there.  Email the photo as an attachment to: info@photo-gems.com   If you have a slow dialup connection, you may wish to mail a floppy disc or CD-ROM to us instead.

WHAT IF I PREFER TO SEND A PRINT OF MY PHOTO? No problem.  We can accept any size between 3"x5" up to 8"x10". Prints should be glossy if possible.  Please protect your photo so that it is not damaged during shipment to us.  Do not send negatives or slides. Please do NOT ship us irreplaceable photos.  We will return your photos with your order, but we are not responsible for photos that get lost or damaged. I SAW AND AD ON TV FOR A CRYSTAL PRAYER CROSS FOR 2 EASY PAYMENTS OF 19.99.  WHY ARE YOUR PENDANTS MORE EXPENSIVE? Those crystal prayer cross pendants on TV are mass produced (most likely in a land far, far away...), contain a plastic lens, have a black and white text-only image, and contain very little precious metal.  Our Photo-Gems pendants are individually crafted for you one at a time by us here in the USA, using a precision microscope quality glass lens, a full COLOR microfilmed image made from your submitted photo, and mounted into a beautifully cast solid sterling silver or solid 14K gold pendant (some of which can be engraved for you at no additional charge).  We offer basic digital editing services to help you get your custom image just the way you want it at no extra charge.  Our pendants also carry a 30 day unconditional money back guarantee.  There really is no comparison between these products.

HOW DO YOU PROTECT MY PRIVACY? We care about your privacy.  Your photo will ONLY be used to make your custom Photo-Gems jewelry.  Our policy is to NEVER use our customers photos for advertising purposes.  (All of the family photos you see on this site are licensed images and NOT customer photos.)  All reasonable efforts are made to protect your electronic information.  We do not sell your contact information to third party companies.  Our shopping cart is Verisign Certified and uses SSL technology to protect your credit card information.