A mercury vapor discharge fluorescent lamp having a barrier layer which is 0.01 to 50 weight percent pigment particles, the presence of the pigment particles in the barrier layer increasing the CRI value of the lamp by at least 1 or 2 or 3 to preferably at least 90. The pigment particles are preferably inorganic and yellow. The color temperature of the lamp is preferably 2300-3800 K. The pigment particles help filter out mercury emissions at 405 and 436 nm.