By Rick Toerne

 Display lighting is going electronic.

  A scientific breakthrough in the 1990’s that paved the way for the production of light emitting diodes (LEDs) that produce white light is finally bringing lighting into the electronic age.  Although this energy saving technology has been around since the 1970’s, until recently it could only produce colored light and had limited applications (think traffic lights, etc.).  The ability to produce reliable white light is now beginning to move this technology out of the specialty arena and into the mainstream.

 Lighting uses over 20% of all the electricity produced in the United States.  The technology that burns most of this energy is the incandescent light bulb invented by Thomas Edison over 100 years ago.  This high level of power use has state and national governments considering a ban on this type of lighting.  Currently at least six states led by California and Texas are weighing bans on incandescent bulbs.  Australia, Canada, and the European Union are also considering phasing out these power hungry light bulbs.

 Much more efficient than regular incandescent and even halogen lights, these new white LEDs can produce any where from 500% to 1000% more light with the same amount of energy.  Because they use so much less energy, they also operate with only a fraction of the heat output of a light bulb.  Anyone who has used halogen case lighting or overhead lighting will immediately notice a dramatic difference with LEDs.  Unlike the tungsten halogen technology that requires a bulb temperature of over 500 degrees to give them their intensity, these new LEDs never get warmer than about 100-120 degrees.  This makes them much safer for merchandise or specimens that may be damaged by high heat.  Another benefit to their low energy, low heat operation is that your booth or store will be easier to keep at a comfortable temperature.

 In addition to energy saving, these small solid state devices are virtually indestructible in normal use.  Immune to vibration and with no filament to burn out, their life expectancy can exceed 50,000 hours.

 All these features however would be worthless without the last and most visible benefit, the quality and color of their light output.  LED lighting draws in customers by making your merchandise look fantastic.  It is the ideal light for gems and jewelry, mineral specimens, and crystals.  LED strips, with their multiple light sources, produce a dramatic sparkle to catch the attention of potential customers.  It’s like making your entire case an attention getting motion display.  LEDs also give you the ability to choose your light color.  If you need cooler, whiter light for your pearls, diamonds or platinum jewelry, you can order it.  If you need a warmer light for your gold and colored stones or specimens you can get that.  Lights can be manufactured in a range of color temperatures from 2500K to 5500K.  This new technology makes it possible to tailor your lighting to your merchandise for an optimal presentation.

 If you would like to see the benefits for yourself, visit Arizona Case in Tucson during the show.  We are located at Pueblo Gem & Mineral Show in room 134.  If you can’t make it, but would like additional information, call Arizona Case at (800) 528-0195.

  Rick Toerne is the owner of Arizona Case, a supplier of display cases and lighting for over 30 years.  They have been researching and experimenting with LED lighting since 2004, and have begun offering them to their customers this past year.

Pricing and configurations available for portable cases:
(LED lights now are available for store fixtures as well)