Proper lighting for a jewelry store

Proper store lighting can attract more customers to any store, help sell more products, and strengthen a store’s image. Many designers argue that the most important element of a store’s design may be its lighting. Unfortunately, lighting is often the most neglected component of store design.

When choosing lighting for any store or display case, here are some ideas to consider.

ceiling height: The height of a store’s ceiling is one of the most important factors involved in a plan to light a jewelry store in such a way that the merchandise looks spectacular. As the light source moves away from the merchandise, the power and intensity of the light decrease. Shades with higher ceilings (over 9 feet) face some challenges with lighting. Stores with higher ceilings have to use more lights that are closer together to illuminate a window display or move the light source closer by dropping a track or using a pendant.

Colour: The color of light is measured in Kelvin (temperature). The higher the temperature reading (Kelvin), the cooler the color of the light, and the lower the temperature, the warmer the color. For example, a 3000K light would be a warmer color and a 4000K light would be a cooler light. As the temperature of the light gets too high (above 4200 K), the color of the light begins to take on a blue quality. Lights that are in the 5500K to 6500K range will appear “blue” to the naked eye.

Bulb life/quality: The life expectancy of a light bulb is based on its “rated life”. The best light bulbs have a rated life of over 10,000 hours. The quality of a light bulb can also be measured by its CRI (color rendering index). The higher the CRI of a bulb, the better the quality of light it projects. CRI numbers above 80 signify a very high quality of light. CRI numbers above 90 signify exemplary light quality.

power of light: The power of a light bulb is measured in lumens. The amount of light that is generated is measured in Lux or, more commonly, in foot-candles (“fc”). The higher the number of lumens, the more foot-candles the bulb will generate.

different light sources: There are three main sources of light used in jewelry stores. They are (1) ceramic metal halides (2) halogens (3) fluorescents. LED technology is being used more and more, but it is still far behind the top three. The best light source for jewelry is still ceramic metal halide. This is due to its qualities. They are energy efficient, powerful (6000+ lumens), come in warm and cool colors (3000K to 4200K), have excellent CRI (80+ and in most cases 90+ CRI), and can provide foot-candles that can exceed 400. Halogens are hot, have lower CRIs, do not maintain their color over the life of the bulb, and are one-fourth to one-third the wattage of a ceramic metal halide. Fluorescents are energy efficient but they don’t put out enough power to be useful in a jewelry store when it comes to lighting merchandise.

LEDs are the “buzz” but they have limitations and problems. LED technology is constantly changing. An LED accessory you buy today (such as a personal computer) will be obsolete a year from now. Maintaining consistent LED color over time can be problematic due to changes in LED technology. LEDs can make jewelry look great inside the display case, but they are not powerful enough to be placed above the cabinet where the sale is actually taking place. Due to this limitation, a different light source is required above the display case, such as a ceramic metal halide or halogen. This is where the problems occur. What happens is that there are two different light sources, each of which makes a piece of jewelry look different. As an example… a customer sees a piece of jewelry inside a display case illuminated by an LED strip. They ask the seller to take it out for them to see. It is pulled out and is now on the glass illuminated by a DIFFERENT light source which makes the piece look different. The customer begins to wonder if the lighting inside the box is there to “fool” them into thinking the jewelry looks good. Since sales end in the “glass,” having a light source that makes jewelry look the same in the box as it does on top of the box is crucial to closing a sale.

TIPS:

(1) Most designers who understand the proper way to light a jewelry store will tell you that you light “for diamonds” and the rest of your merchandise will survive just fine AND if you light for gold, your diamonds will die. Diamonds require a bright white light that provides enough power to make them sparkle. Diamonds should be displayed under lights that are in the range of 4000-4200K. This provides a beautiful white color that falls short of the qualities of blue. Gold and warmer colored stones look best under warmer colored lights from 3000K to 3500K. However, if a store is going to use a single color of light in all its windows, then the adage “lighting for diamonds” is the way to go.

(2) Make sure the lighting is strong enough to produce a minimum of 200fc. It is universally accepted that having a light of less than 200 fc is less than the minimum amount of light to adequately illuminate jewelry, especially diamonds. Readings between 200 and 400 fc is the optimal amount of light power on a display case depending on the store owner’s personal preference for how much light he thinks looks best.

(3) That the ambient or general lighting is warmer and less powerful than the lighting on the display cases. The human eye is attracted to the brightest light. If the general lighting in a store is the same color and wattage as that of the windows, then there will be nothing to attract customers to the windows and the store will have a cold and unappealing feel. By having the general (ambient) lighting less powerful (around 75fc) and of a warmer color (between 2500 and 300K) the lighting on the merchandise will stand out and attract the customer towards the windows.

(4) When lighting a window display that has natural sunlight, use twice the amount of light that would ordinarily be used on a window display to combat the power of the sun.

When upgrading lighting, the trend is often a change from halogen technology. Customers who use halogen and switch to ceramic metal halide will notice an immediate difference in the quality and power of the light, the decrease in heat, and the noticeable change it makes to their merchandise.

Aspects to take into account when choosing the type of lighting:

clue: This provides the most versatility as the accessories can be easily moved and repositioned. Whether merchandise moves from checkout to checkout or displays move, track lighting gives the store owner the most options.

recessed: This provides the most elegant look. The limitations are that the store owner will be limited in their ability to add or decrease lighting, as well as limitations with the movement of merchandise and display cases within the store. Once a recessed light is installed, the cost of adding or removing lighting becomes a huge expense, requiring electricians to remove/move the lighting, as well as the hassle associated with repairing holes in the ceiling where the recessed light fixture was installed.

pendants: Pendants are a great way to bring a light source closer to display cases where ceilings are high and store owners don’t want to spend the money to add additional lights to compensate for high ceilings.

Interior Display Case Lighting – Having lighting inside a display case can really add sparkle and shine to your jewelry. The best lighting for the interior of a box is LED. However, be careful when choosing the LED to ensure that the light color is not blue (5500K = color range). Having one color shining on your merchandise in the box and a different color shining on your merchandise above the box has the real potential to lose a sale. Stores don’t want their customers to be drawn to the appearance of the jewelry and diamonds inside only to have them look different on top of the glass where the sale is closed. Customers will think that stores are trying to trick them by using fancy lighting.