Nice job Jim, love the color and texture on that antler. I understand you gotta make the kits you have on hand, but if I'd had a choice, probably would have went with chrome, brushed nickle, black enamel, or black TI, in order of cost.
For the pics, the white balance and lighting are good, I would try to keep the pen parallel to the back of the camera rather than at an angle, to improve depth and focus, and use a flat, more monochrome background. Getting better though, keep working on it.