Jewelry cases are lit to make metal and stones sparkle. That same lighting can make price tags hard to read: glare off glossy cards, tiny type lost in shadow, screens washed out by spotlights. A customer who can't read a price either has to ask, which some won't, or assumes it's too expensive. Here's how to light a case so both the jewelry and the prices show well.
Light quality: color rendering matters
The color rendering index (CRI) measures how accurately a light source shows colors compared with daylight. According to 1000Bulbs' explainer on CRI, sunlight scores 100, a bulb with a CRI of 80 or above is considered good, and 90 or above very good. Below 80, colors can look yellowish and washed out. The same guide notes that jewelry stores, galleries and museums typically use very high-CRI lighting.
For a jewelry case, high-CRI light shows the true color of yellow gold, rose gold and white metals, and helps stones look their best. It also makes black-on-white tags crisper.
Glare: the biggest enemy of readable tags
Glare happens when light bounces straight off a shiny surface into the customer's eyes. In a case, the usual culprits are:
- Glossy tag stock that reflects spotlights.
- Glass tops that reflect overhead fixtures.
- Backlit screens competing with bright ambient light.
Fixes are simple: use matte tags, angle lights so they hit the jewelry rather than the glass at the customer's eye level, and avoid pointing spotlights directly at tags.
Placement and size
Check your case from the customer's side, standing at normal height:
| Check | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Distance | Can you read the price from where customers stand, not with your nose on the glass? |
| Angle | Does the tag face the customer, or lie flat and disappear? |
| Shadow | Is the tag shaded by a riser, a ring stand or the case frame? |
| Association | Is it obvious which tag belongs to which piece? |
| Size | Is the price the largest text on the tag? |
Most tag problems show up in the first five minutes of this walk-around.
What goes on the tag
A readable tag puts the price first and keeps the description short and accurate. The FTC's jewelry guides (16 CFR Part 23) set rules for how metal content is described: alloyed gold should show its karat, such as "14K Gold," and "sterling" requires at least 92.5% silver. Our article on FTC labeling rules for price tags covers the details.
A simple hierarchy works well:
- Price, largest.
- Metal and karat or fineness.
- Item type or short description.
Tag type under bright lights
The kind of tag you use changes how it behaves under case lighting:
- Paper reads well under light if it's matte, but needs reprinting every time a price changes.
- E-Ink tags reflect light like paper. As E Ink describes, the display uses physical black and white particles rather than a backlight, so bright case lighting improves readability rather than washing it out.
- LCD screens emit their own light and can glare or look dim next to strong spotlights.
For a full comparison, see E-Ink vs. LCD vs. paper price tags.
A quick case audit
Once a quarter, walk each case as a customer would. Note any tag you can't read in two seconds, any piece without an obvious price, and any light that glares in your eyes. Fixing those few spots often does more for sales than rearranging the whole display.
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PriceTaglet
Price tags for your retail workflow.
PriceTaglet is price-tag technology for all retail operators, with ready-made software primarily for coin stores. Tags can integrate with POS systems; contact us to assess compatibility with your setup.
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