AbstractThis article addresses the results of the recent North and Fairchild article on observer metamerism. It reports on the results of a different experiment that produced similar results to those of North and Fairchild. The history of observer metamerism is outlined briefly and some possible sources of the large variations in inter‐observer matches are suggested. Finally, a plea for a commercially viable special index of metamerism for change in observer is formulated. © 1995 John Wiley&Sons, I