Emerald Chain

Emerald Chain is a studio portrait built around one piece of jewellery and a lot of darkness.

Your pet is shown head, chest and shoulders against a seamless sweep of deep dark teal. Around the neck sits a heavy gold Cuban link chain, the links thick and polished, with emerald green stones set into the metal. There is no crown, no clothing and no name on the chain. The light is warm and directional, so the gold reads as gold and a dark coat still keeps its colour instead of disappearing into the backdrop.

The sample is a chocolate Doberman, because a short coat and a long neck let the chain sit clean and the stones catch the light. The style is not limited to that dog. A pale coat, a cat, a scruffy terrier: the chain and the teal stay, and the face stays the one in your photograph.

It is the quiet counterpart to The Nameplate. That style is loud, frontal and lettered. This one has no lettering at all. What it has is weight: metal, green stones, and a backdrop dark enough that the portrait feels like it was shot after the lights in the rest of the room went down.

It hangs well on a dark wall, and it is the one to choose when the gift should feel expensive without turning into a costume.