Illuminating Jewelry Stores (Jack smithTerry)

When designing any retail space, special considerations have to be made in order to properly display and showcase the merchandise. One of the most important aspects beyond layout and decor is the lighting. It can highlight the merchandise and add a specific ambiance for a bold, standout look, or be subtle and pleasing to the eye. No other industry is as reliant on proper lighting design as that of jewelry stores.

There is a reason that diamonds, precious metals, and the gamut of fine jewelry seem to sparkle and shine more in the store than when you get it home. It's a simple fact that there is more light being reflected and refracted by the gems and any other glass and reflective surfaces. It might not seem like it because the various lighting that is generally used is strategically placed and tightly focused on the jewelry and not in your eyes. Ceiling mounted lighting tends to be recessed so that the lamp can only be seen if you are looking directly up at it. While the display lighting is conveniently hidden in the concealed corner of the case. This is done so you are dazzled by the scintillating gems and not the lights.

Depending on the lamps used, the "temperature" can be altered to give diamonds a "cool" quality to them or a "warm" lamp can give gold a warm and welcoming feel. In a single store and even between two displays side by side, you can see a very different ambiance that evokes different feelings for the merchandise being showcased.

Other tricks are used to make the jewelry have a bigger visual impact. By placing the jewelry on black or other dark colored velvet, it enhances the sparkle by acting as a low reflective, matte background. This tactic ensures that the diamond or other gems on whatever piece you're looking at is the focus. If white is used, and it is, diamonds lose some of their apparent sparkle. That is why white is generally used to display dark colored gems and even gold. It comes down to what can offer the most contrast to make the piece "pop" visually.

Stores utilize many psychological tactics, methods and designs to highlight their merchandise to make it as appealing as possible to the buyer. They accomplish this with colors, sounds, smells, and especially lights. Jewelry stores just use light more extensively and more successfully than any other retail industry.

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