How We Photograph Our Agates

At Elemental Treasure, every image is taken without filters, colour correction, or enhancement of any kind. That part has never changed — and never will.

How we get there, though? That's been a journey.

Older listings were photographed in open shade (outdoors for Malawi agates) or a lightbox (for Lilangabi agates), with in-hand and video shots in direct natural sunlight. It worked. Mostly. The lightbox was a good idea in theory — until we realised it made everything look like it was photographed inside a cloud.

Newer listings are shot entirely in natural sunlight. One thing worth knowing: you'll likely spot reflections on some pieces. Highly polished agates are essentially mirrors, and we've found reflections unavoidable regardless of lighting conditions. They're not flaws — just the nature of a well-lapped stone.

The short version: nothing matches sunlight. The long version: we've been chasing that fact for a while now, and we're glad we got there. Every image — old or new — shows the real, unedited piece. We just got better at showing it.