Behind the Scenes: How the Lewis Jewelers Magazine Comes to Life

By the time a watch is positioned perfectly on a wrist and the photographer takes the shot, we've probably been thinking about that photograph for months.

Our annual Lewis Jewelers magazine photoshoot doesn't begin in the studio.

It begins in February.

February: The First Pieces of the Story

Every year, our team attends Centurion, one of the jewelry industry's trade shows. There are new collections to see, designers to reconnect with, and pieces that immediately make us stop.

We're buying for Lewis, of course.

But we're also beginning to imagine.

Could that necklace become the center of a photograph? What would happen if we stacked that bracelet with something completely unexpected? Is there a new collection our clients need to know about?

At this point, there isn't a shot list taped to a wall or a model sitting in hair and makeup.

There are simply ideas.

The first pieces of the next Lewis magazine are beginning to find us.

May: Couture Changes Everything

Then comes May.

Couture in Las Vegas is where the possibilities become much more tangible.

By now, we've spent months seeing what's arriving for the year, thinking about the designers we want to feature and considering what the next magazine should feel like.

At Couture, we hit the ground running.

We look beyond individual pieces and begin thinking about how everything might live together. A necklace from one designer might change the way we're thinking about a look. A new bracelet might suddenly complete a stack we've had in mind since February.

This is where buying and creative direction begin to overlap.

We're no longer seeing individual pieces of jewelry.

We're seeing the pages.

Then Comes the Photoshoot

Shoot day looks glamorous in the finished photographs.

Behind the camera, it's considerably more meticulous.

Every look is considered by multiple people. Jewelry comes on. Jewelry comes off. A bracelet moves. Someone notices the proportions. Another piece is brought over.

Then everyone looks again.

It's a process of adding, subtracting, adjusting, and occasionally returning to the version we started with.

Because there's a difference between putting beautiful jewelry together and creating a look that feels collected.

We're after the second one.

Yes, There's a Sponge Under That Watch

Some of our favorite behind-the-scenes details are the ones you're never supposed to notice.

A watch, for example, needs to sit correctly on the wrist even when the bracelet is sized larger than the model's wrist.

Our solution isn't particularly glamorous.

Sometimes it's a sponge.

Tucked carefully out of sight, it helps position the watch where we need it so the finished photograph looks effortless.

That's one of the funny things about beautiful photographs.

There's usually something decidedly un-beautiful happening just outside the frame.

Why Are Watch Hands Almost Always Set to 10 and 2?

Look closely at a professionally photographed watch and you may notice something.

The hands are often smiling.

Before photographing our watches, we carefully position the hands around 10 and 2. It creates visual balance across the dial and, more importantly, keeps the hands from covering the watchmaker's logo.

It's a tiny adjustment.

Most people will never consciously notice it.

We notice it every time.

That's the point.

Nothing Is Styled by Accident

One of the most time-consuming parts of the shoot is also one of our favorites: building the jewelry looks.

A great stack can't simply be more.

It has to have rhythm.

Different widths. Different textures. A place for the eye to rest. Enough contrast to feel interesting without becoming distracting.

The same is true for necklaces, rings, earrings, and watches.

We'll try something.

Look.

Change one piece.

Look again.

There are many sets of eyes on every finished combination because everyone sees something slightly different. One person notices proportion. Someone else sees color. Another realizes the piece we thought would complete the look is actually the piece distracting from it.

Sometimes the best styling decision we make all day is taking something off.

The goal is never to fit as much jewelry as possible into the photograph.

It's to make every piece that's there feel like it belongs.

The Last Photograph Isn't the Finish Line

Eventually, the lights come down.

The jewelry goes back into its cases. The watches are returned to the correct time. The set is cleared.

And we're nowhere near finished.

For approximately the next two months, those photographs begin becoming the annual Lewis magazine.

Images are selected. Pages are built. Layouts change. Stories take shape.

Then comes the editorial.

We write about the designers, the jewelry, the watches, the people, the ideas, and the moments we think are worth sharing that year.

Photography and writing begin moving back and forth until the magazine feels less like a collection of advertisements and more like something you'd actually want to sit down and read.

That's always the goal.

From February to Your Coffee Table

By the time the finished Lewis magazine reaches your hands, we've lived with it for the better part of the year.

It began somewhere between cases of jewelry at Centurion in February.

It grew on the floors of Couture in Las Vegas.

It passed through countless conversations about necklaces, watches, rings, lighting, styling, layouts, headlines, photographs, and whether that bracelet needed to move half an inch.

Then, eventually, it became a magazine.

There are easier ways to make one.

But when something carries the Lewis name, we want every page to feel considered.

Even if that means there's a sponge hiding just outside the frame.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Lewis Jewelers Photoshoot

When does Lewis Jewelers begin planning its annual magazine?
Planning effectively begins in February at Centurion, where the Lewis team starts seeing new jewelry and considering pieces that could become part of the year's creative direction. The process develops further during Couture in Las Vegas in May before moving into the annual photoshoot and magazine production.

How does Lewis Jewelers choose jewelry for the photoshoot?
Each look is curated collaboratively. The team considers proportion, color, texture, scale, and how individual pieces work together rather than simply trying to showcase as much jewelry as possible.

Why are watch hands set to 10 and 2 in photographs?
Setting a watch around 10 and 2 creates a balanced appearance on the dial while helping keep the brand's logo visible. It's a small styling detail that makes a significant difference in professional watch photography.

How do you make watches fit models during a jewelry photoshoot?
Sometimes the solution is surprisingly simple. When a watch bracelet is too large for a model's wrist, the Lewis team may discreetly use a small sponge to help position it correctly for the photograph.

How long does it take to create the Lewis Jewelers magazine?
The process spans several months. Jewelry selection begins as early as February, the creative direction develops through spring, and after the photoshoot, the Lewis team spends approximately two additional months assembling the magazine and writing its editorial content.

Where is Lewis Jewelers?
Lewis Jewelers is a family-owned luxury jeweler in the Clear Lake area of Houston, Texas, offering fine jewelry, designer jewelry, engagement rings, custom jewelry, and luxury watches.

The photograph may take a fraction of a second.

Everything you don't see is what made it possible.