hehe cheers mate.
I'll try to cover all your questions:
1. In order to get similar shots to your catalogue examples you will need a macro lens and good lighting. A light tent would be good because then as you said, you can light it from the top and the sides and have more control over it. The macro lens will make the 'links fill the frame and should be sharper.
2. As far as a macro lens goes I'm probably not the best person to ask as I don't shoot macro (yet) but just from being on these forums for far too long I can say that the Sigma 105mm macro f/2.8 is highly regarded. You should be able to get it for £250 (maybe less) and it's sharp, gives you plenty of control over DOF and at 1:1 magnification it will fill your frame nicely which in turn should show up the surface detail of the cuff-links.
3. I'm not familiar with the different types of metals that you would be working with or their properties but for the most part you should be able to show different textures from shiny to matt to brushed through your lighting. It's all about highlighting the specific properties of each item. A link with a shiny finish could have a main light coming from the front which would give it a catch light to suggest a reflective surface. A brushed finish could be lit primarily from one side to produce slight shadows in the grooves of the brushed effect. Once you have the equipment it shouldn't be too hard, with a bit of trail and error, to get the effects you want.
4. A polariser is useful for removing unwanted reflections but in some cases you might want those reflections to highlight surface texture so it's not always going to be the best choice. Also, a Circular Polariser works best 90 degrees to the light. In a light tent which is lit from three or more sides this will be quite hard to achieve. I would say save yourself the £30-50 that a decent Hoya Pro1D Circular Polariser would cost for the Sigma 105mm (just as an example, other lenses with a larger filter diameter will be more expensive) and if you find that you cant control the reflections through your lighting then maybe think about getting one.
5. This is a two part question really; as far as finding a dark corner in which to work I would say it's not essential. The strip lighting in your office will affect your white balance slightly but it shouldn't affect your exposure too much if you have control over your other lights, especially if you use a light tent. Taking a custom white balance will eliminate the WB problem as would shooting in RAW and editing in Photoshop but I prefer to get as much of the shot right 'in camera' rather than relying on software.
As far as getting 3 desk-lamps goes, it will give you more control over shadows and highlights and it's a fairly cheap solution rather than buying dedicated studio lighting or flash guns. However, if you just shoot with the lamps the lighting is going to be very harsh and if the bulb wattage is low, you might have to tweak your WB and exposure a bit to get what you want. Using desk lamps with a light tent (as shown previously) is favourable because it will diffuse the light (softer shadows etc). A light tent will also give you a uniform background, floor and walls. If you want to shoot the links at 'eye' level like you catalogue shots rather than 'top-down' like your current photos then you will need to think about what's behind the 'links as well as the surface they are sat on. A light tent will solve all of these problems.
On a side note, if you want the reflections under the 'links like in the catalogue shots then you're going to have to get creative in Photoshop. I'm pretty sure they have added the reflections during processing because having a mirrored surface under your subject plays havoc with the lighting.
I hope that clears up some of your questions, if you need any more info feel free to ask.
Good luck mate, I hope the boss it prepared to give you another £300 if he's not happy with the latest images.
Panzer
