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Click here for information on the lighting of sculpture
Underlit Displays
Some transparent or translucent objects can really benefit from under lighting. Typically these would be glass or acrylic and have either surface texture or interior inclusions that act as refracting features.
In the past, under lighting has had issues with the heat generated by halogen bulbs. Very low wattage bulbs with low light output were all that could be used to avoid heat buildup and generally did not have adequate power to display well.
The advent of 12 volt, LED( light emitting diode) lighting has essentially overcome this issue. The LED puts out very little heat while putting out a great deal of light on a per watt basis. A 1 watt LED has great brilliance and yet will impart virtually no heat to the object that is mounted on top of it..
High power LED’s have a wide beam angle(150 degrees +-) and are generally used with a fixed optic (lens) that will narrow the beam to between 35 degrees and 12 degrees depending upon the optic selected. This whole assembly can fit into a 7/8” (22mm) hole as shown below.
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As you can see, a tight and intense beam is created. The Nailsea glass weight below shows how this type of beam can really highlight the interior structure of a piece. These two images are of the same glass, using a cool white LED (top) and a warm white LED (bottom). There are several options for LED color temperature in the whites, including cool , daylight and warm. The color cast of the piece will help in making that choice, but it obviously makes a difference.
Another option for LED lighting is strip lighting. This is a string of low wattage LEDs connected together and recessed into a groove in the display base.
This groove can be cut to any necessary shape to accommodate the footprint of the object and can be useful for objects that benefit from lighting that is more dispersed.
Below is an example of the dispersed lighting. Even this mass produced glass vase shows interesting features when lit around the perimeter of its base.
Below is the same Nailsea glass weight under two different lighting schemes. The left image has a 3”(75mm) LED light ring under it. The right image has 7/8”(22mm) LED spot light under it. The spot light leads to a glare spot on the inside of the piece. The light ring gets rid of the glare and the more diffuse light picks up more of the features of the piece.
Ring Light
Spot Light
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Under lighting requires some thought for best results, but is well worth it for some objects. I would be pleased to discuss the specifics of your project at any time.