Try to find a Gossen #4145 battery adapter. This is designed to hold two SR44 or two 357 or two 76 silver oxide batteries. Those are widely available and have a life span much closer to that of the original PX625 mercury batteries that meter used.

The #4145 adapter is no longer made, but can be found used sometimes. Keep watching for one on eBay and elsewhere. It not only hold the two batteries and fills up the battery compartment of the meter, it also corrects the voltage so that the meter will read correctly.

The Wein batteries you got are Zinc Air. Those will work okay, too. But they don't last long and end up being quite expensive. Taping up the holes won't lengthen their life. Once air is let inside, that activates the batteries and they will provide a level power output for maybe three or four months, then die quickly. Note that when you first remove the seal from the battery to let air inside, they will be slightly under powered. After about half an hour they'll come up the the correct power level and will remain steady.

The advantages of silver oxide is that they also have a steady power output, but a much longer life... one or two years is possible, depending upon the device. Also, they're sealed so removing them (or just turning the device off) will stop them from draining. Initially silver oxide are sometimes over powered, but settle down to a steady output after about half an hour. They'll maintain that for some time. In this case, the #4145 adapter should correct the voltage right from new.

DO NOT try to use 625 alkaline batteries (or any other type of alkaline, for that matter). They don't have a level power output and will give incorrect readings throughout their lifetime. There is no way to adjust for them either, since the voltage starts to drop right from new and simply continued to taper off. There are meters and cameras that can use alkaline batteries, but they have a voltage stabilizing circuit. Most meters and cameras that originally used mercury batteries do not have that circuit. (Alkaline batteries also are the type most prone to leak and do damage to electronic devices.)

If the Wein batteries you got have a metal ring pressed on, once they are run down remove that. You can buy 675 size hearing aid batteries very cheaply and simply install that metal ring on them to keep them centered inside the meter's battery compartment. For that matter, due to the way the two batteries stack in that meter, you also could just go to a hardware store and buy a few O rings in a size that fits snugly onto those hearing aid batteries and is large enough to keep them centered in the battery compartment without getting stuck in there.

You can use a similar trick with the silver oxide batteries, but still have the problem with the batteries having too high voltage. It might be possible to have the meter re-calibrated to use them. You'd have to check with a repair tech.

Wein 625 zinc air batteries cost around $4.50 each (at B&H) and if you're very lucky you will use six of them a year to power that meter. $27 annual cost.

675 zinc air hearing aid batteries can be bought on Amazon for $1 ea. (known brand) or even 50¢ ea. (unknown brand). They probably won't last as long as the Wein, so you might use 12 of them a year. $6 to $12 annual cost.

LR44 silver oxide batteries cost around $2 ea. (B&H) and will last at least a year. $2 annual cost.

Back when they were still being made, the Gossen #4145 adapter was a bit pricey at about $40, if memory serves. But it was a one time purchase and they typically came with a couple of the appropriate silver oxide batteries.

Gossen Luna Pro is an excellent meter, if you can make it work!

I was a bit puzzled, at first. My Gossen Luna Pro SBC uses a 9-Volt "transistor radio" battery such as an MN 1604 or IEC 6F 22 or 6LR61 or 006P. Other industry names for the 9V battery can be A1604, 522, 4922, MX2400, MX 1604, or 1604A! I used Gossen Luna Pro F meters years ago. They also use those same 9-Volt batteries.

Apparently, all the CDS cell meters use button cells. The usual orientation of button cells is positive (+) side up towards the lid of the battery compartment. Most button cell battery compartments are marked with a + on the inside of the lid.

I did find this site, which may have some relevant answers. https://gossen-photo.de/en/ersatz-fuer-quecksilberoxid-batterie-v625px/

The main issue seems to be with devices manufactured without voltage regulation devices in them. They need adapters to work properly with alkaline cells in bright light.

You hafta use a dual lighting set up. First you light them like glassware, plenty of info available on that. But you hafta add small bright pin lights that make the sparkles. You’ll hafta move these around while watching for the sparkles. Unless you have a whole bunch of lights you may be better of shooting the “glassware” shot and then each of multiple sparkle shots all separately and using them as layers in post.

You can get to far shining light ONTO glassware as if it were pottery. You light up a bright environment that is refracted by the glass, through the glass. Likewise the sparkles, but thaz reflection instead of refraction.

If you think in those terms you’ll develop some feel for creating the illuminated environment. You actual subject objects can be thought of as invisible, like air. Only what is refracted and reflected by your special “solid air” will create an image. It has no opaque surface to wash with light like a face or a wooden carving.

It’s tricky til you get a feel for it. Think of a cut glass fruit bowl, only tiny. If you have such a bowl in can teach you things more easily. Then you hafta miniaturize the whole game.

The diamond facets are angled to be admired at “comfortable reading distance. Try to use that approximately that distance even if it requires severe cropping.