Why does my light look Pink compared to Sterling's luminaires?
By Damien Sanchez
We hear this question more and more as designers put Sterling luminaires next to the competition:
“Why do my lights look pink next to the Sterling luminaires?”
The answer lies in a combination of color temperature and spectral rendering. And once you understand the differences, the pink cast isn’t just noticeable, it’s unmistakable.
Color Temperature Isn’t the Whole Story
Here is an example, using our friends at Emory Allen's MR16 photometrics and our SL01 photometrics. Both the Sterling SL01 and an EmoryAllen MR16 specify a similar color temperature, around 3000K. But color temperature alone doesn’t determine how a light source actually renders light in the landscape.
What you’re seeing isn’t just “warm white.” You’re seeing how well the light renders red tones (R9), how balanced the full spectrum is, and how faithfully colors end up appearing in your design.
Pictured: Left -Sterling Lighting's Full Spectrum Photometric report detailing spectrum
Pictured Right - Emory Allen MR16 Lamp lables a 53 for R9 Value
CRI and R9: The Real Difference
Patrick Harders designed Sterling luminaires from the beginning to render colors as accurately as possible. Using not only high CRI chips in each lamp but also chips with high r9 values, see the values below:
CRI: 98
R9: 89–94, depending on output setting
Fidelity Index (Rf): 93–94
Gamut Index (Rg): 99
Compare that to a typical EmeryAllen MR16, which carries:
CRI: 92
R9: 53
R values matter more than most realize. The R9 score represents how well a light source renders red tones. A low R9 makes everything in the scene feel muted and washed out. Worse, when placed next to a S
Sterling luminaire, it can cause your other lights to appear pink or off-color in comparison.
Spectral Distribution Isn’t Just Marketing
Sterling luminaires have been engineered with a full-spectrum approach. That means:
Balanced color rendering across all wavelengths
No color spikes that create artificial warmth or flatness
Reliable consistency across every unit
We aren't just talking about lab specs that don't really matter; it’s designing a scene with the best light so you can deliver a project that meets your vision as a designer.
If you’re blending fixtures and you drop a 3000K MR16 from any other brand into the mix, you might hit the correct number on the box, but it will miss the mark in the field. And when Sterling is the benchmark, everything else tends to look a little off.
Intentional Design
MR16s are a retrofit lamp platform for LEDs; MR refers to Multifaceted Reflector, and before LEDs, MR16s delivered excellent light values. But with LEDs now integrated into them, they’re suitable for what they are, which is a lamp for any kind of fixture. But they weren’t designed for LED chips originally. MR16s are a platform that many fixtures adopted before the advent of LEDs, and current MR16 lamps must meet a specific price point, resulting in a compromise on optics, consistency, and spectral output.
Sterling luminaires aren’t retrofits. They’re purpose-built tools, designed with real-world installs in mind.
When we create a product like the SL01, we’re thinking about how it will render a red brick wall, a flowering Japanese maple, or a textured stone façade at night. And we’re designing for how it’ll look ten years from now, not just out of the box.
If your lights look pink next to a Sterling luminaire, it’s because the Sterling luminaire is doing precisely what it’s supposed to: render color with accuracy, balance, and be as true to sunlight as possible.
Once you see it, you won’t be able to unsee it.
