why does jewelry not sparkle dramatically on TV today, like it does in black-and-white shows from the ’50s?

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My main point of reference here is *What’s My Line*, which was a live studio show. It seems like it should work the same, unless there’s something peculiar about the camera that causes that effect? Or do they tell people on TV now not to wear jewelry like that?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

A lot of the costume jewelry that was popular at the time featured larger imitation gems or cheap crystals (real jewelry also tended to feature larger gems at the time as well). Most of today’s jewelry (costume or real) features smaller gems or imitation gems. In the old costume jewelry, it also wasn’t uncommon for the flat backside of a false gem to be silvered (like a mirror). I expect the type of set lighting used back then may also be a factor. Costume jewelry of the era also often featured gilt paint over a cheap metal or composite material and silver gilt is shiny AF.

Source: inherited a large collection of 40s-50s costume jewelry and quite a few real pieces from that era as well.

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