Touchup jewelry photos for e-commerce site

Hi all,

I'm mostly a software developer who's launching a jewelry site for my family's business. I'm looking for tips on how I can jazz up photos ready to stun and entice customers to purchase from our inventory on the site. I'm a beginner when it comes to utilities such as Photoshop, but I do have Adobe Photoshop CS3 available. I'm willing to purchase other software bundles if it handles the job better.

I'm really looking to get the most out of the software, if it means picking up a book, or if someone can point me to tutorials.. I'd really appreciate it. I want to get my photos on the same caliber as those posted on www.tiffany.com and www.bluenile.com. Being able to do neat things like drop shadows on them, add a little sparkle, etc.

Anyway, thank you, I'll award points to those who can provide me with the most relevant tips.

Cheers and good luck!