Tonight, I thought I would see what I could do with the tripod and one light source, a little swivel lamp that can be angled to bounce light off the ceiling. These are the best of my results; comments welcome.
I think for this kind of shot, I really need a second light source, but right now I don't have two of the same kind and I have come to be wary of mixing different kinds of light.
Other than that, I learned that water spots can really mar an image.
I should have taken notes on this one, because I no longer remember how I lost the hot spots on the pestle (bouncing, maybe?)
This one started with an ugly shadow on the inside of the deeper bowl, which I solved by tipping the bowl towards the light. Won't always have that option, I know.