Metamerism is a visual phenomenon which can be caused by a number of different factors. The result is that two samples may look the same under some conditions and different under others.

The most common cause of metamerism is that the pigmentation used to make a match is different than that found in the standard. The spectral curves are different even though the L*a* b* values are the same. The effect of different light sources reflecting off of the different materials results in a visual color difference between the two under some lighting conditions.

Illuminant metamerism occurs when a pair of materials appear to match when viewed under one light source, and then appear to mismatch when viewed under a second light source. Metameric pairs have spectral curves, that cross at least three times.In instrumentation the MI (Metamerism Index) is used.
Photo Courtesy of BYK-Gardner.

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