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Focus on: Lighting

10/1/2010

Presentation is everything for a jewelry retailer, and The Diamond Cellar is no exception. Determined to showcase its product in the finest light available, the company replaced the existing lamps in the display cases of its multilevel flagship in Dublin, Ohio, with innovative LED lighting technology.

The system, Immersion LED Display Case Lighting from GE Lighting, combines reduced operating costs (via energy efficiency, long life and reduced maintenance) with aesthetics, lighting the cases with a bright, uniform light that makes the merchandise pop. The lights are designed to increase visual reflectivity and shine, while helping to guide the consumer’s eye throughout the cases to see the wide selection of jewelry on display.

Diamond Cellar researched various LED solutions before deciding on the GE system.

“The effect of the GE LED lighting on the jewelry is remarkable. It really does sparkle more than ever before, putting our products in the best possible light,” said Ronald Croft Jr., director of operations, Diamond Cellar, Columbus, Ohio.

The LED system has a reflector design that uses multiple point sources of light, focusing peak light to the center of the case and radiating it across the case to eliminate shadows and lighting hot spots that can occur with fluorescent and halogen lighting. The end result is a brighter, more uniform look throughout.

The system uses advanced thermal management for cooler operation. It consumes as little as 7.8 watts per foot while producing higher lux (a measurement of how much light is hitting the intended surface or the object being illuminated) levels per watt of energy used when compared with fluorescent, according to GE. While halogen systems produce higher lux levels, the LED lighting offers better optical control and nearly 80% energy savings, along with a long, 50,000-hour rated life to reduce maintenance hassle and costs.

“We’re benefiting from the efficiencies and long life that the GE system offers,” Croft said.

In line with its environmentally friendly design, the LEDs are also RoHS compliant and do not contain lead, mercury or glass.

The lighting is available in sizes that increase in 6-in. increments to allow for an edge-to-edge fit inside cases, which virtually eliminates the shadows that can occur with fixed-length fluorescent lamps. The slim design of the LEDs allow for easy installation that makes upgrades seamless.

“We found the GE Immersion product to be very easy to install,” said Dan Witt, president, Benchmark Woodworks, Delaware, Ohio, which specified and installed the lighting for Diamond Cellar. “This is the first time we had used it, and we were able to run right through the installation without a hitch.”

The same system installed at Diamond Cellar was recognized as “Best in Class” in the Next Generation Luminaires Solid State Lighting Design Competition, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America and the International Association of Lighting Designers.

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