Pantone has just announced its 2013 Color of the Year:
A green called “Emerald”.
Pantone says Emerald is “Lively, radiant, lush … a color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance, and harmony.”
I’ve put together some color schemes for Emerald, as a jump-starter for jewelry design ideas.
In each of these color schemes, Emerald is in the center.
Emerald – Pastel Color Scheme
With these paler, more delicate colors, Emerald is the focus – while still coordinating with the rest of this scheme.
Emerald – Analogous Color Scheme
Analogous colors are the ones right next to Emerald on the color wheel.
I love the watery, tranquil feel of these colors together!
Emerald – Triad Color Scheme
Triad colors are from three points around the color wheel that form a triangle – with Emerald as one of the points in this case.
Here the color to the right of Emerald looks a lot like antiqued brass, and I like the mood that the purple lends to this scheme.
Emerald – Tetrad Color Scheme
Tetrad colors are from four points around the color wheel – with Emerald as one of the points in this case.
These contrasts would be fun to design with. They bring a more playful feel to Emerald.
Emerald – Complementary Color Scheme
Complementary colors are directly across from each other on the color wheel.
Maybe a patina in one of these greens would be nice with components in one of these oranges.
Emerald – Neutral Color Scheme
I’m thinking that bold, Emerald-colored jewelry could be a knockout against clothes in one of these neutral colors!
Designing for the Color of the Year
And as always, you don’t necessarily have to use Emerald in your jewelry designs.
A lot of people will be wearing clothes with the Emerald color, so it’s also valuable to create accessories to go with that color.
What are your thoughts on Emerald as the 2013 color of the year – and ways to design with it?
Update
Pantone tweeted about the color schemes shown above:
A tweet from Pantone about this post.
I’m not sure how I feel about these colors! Mmmmmm…kind of not so exciting, I think I’m going to have to play with this a bit.
I love Emerald ! I was born in May an that is my birthstone . I’ve played with the combos for years.
So thank you for this write up
Hope
I’m not to crazy about Green unless it’s in nature, but I can work with the Tetrad and Triad colour schemes you propose without a hitch.
Thanks for the suggestions : )
Dabanga
Many thanks for the info! I’m a huge emerald fan and incorporate pieces in my jewellery collection all the time. I am loving your colour combinations and I think that the tetrad one is my favourite so I will definately be playing around with that colour scheme in the new year.
Emerald is my birthstone and the color alone in my opinion is quite regal. The combination with the purple is outstanding and I’m excited about sharing the jewel tones in my jewelry designs. Thanks for the proposed color palettes highlighting this beautiful color.
I also am a May baby but living in Florida, have found yellow greens much more in favor. Our clothes reflect the palm tree greens and we tend to be more colorful in our attire. I think the tetrad combo might work for me.
I usually don’t pay attention to the “colors of the year” thing but I really do like the colors this year. Green is my all time favorite and I use it often. In fact I have more green beads in my stash than any other color. I enjoy your color schemes and will be using some of these in my jewelry making. Thanks so much!!
Thank you so much Rena. I love the color shemes you put together.
Thanks for your lovely comments! I love putting color schemes together – there are a lot of fun free color tools online for doing that.
And I find that when I see a color together with others in a palette, I have a better feel for how to work with it.
I’m a “green gal” like Zoraida (and I too have a ton of green beads and cabochons)! So I’m loving this Emerald and the greens that coordinate with it.
Although I enjoy keeping up with the Pantone color trends, I don’t always apply those colors to my jewelry or to other areas of my life. (I’m most likely to use them when I like them!)
But it’s still good to have an idea of current colors and styles, because customers often ask for our guidance with color and fashion trends related to jewelry.
It’s interesting hearing which palettes you like best, or which would work best with your customer base!
Since most of my pieces are inspired by nature, I have naturally used a lot of green in my designs. It can be a tricky color to use in designs lower on the price point scale. Many customers look for pieces for “daily wear” in the lower price ranges and green is a color that does not work with all outfit colors. HOWEVER, emerald is a great color for the “little black dress” occasion pieces that tend to be in the higher price range. I love it.
I love the Emerald green. I love the analogous color scheme, and I also like this colour with fuschia, and purple. In floral design, green is considered a neutral, as it is the colour of the leaves and stems of most flowers, and because I work in that area too, I tend to think of green as a neutral. So in that way, I find that just about any colour works with it, although different shades of greens work better with some colours.
Personally, I like to wear green because my eyes are green and it brings out the colour. Emerald is a good shade for me.
I’m not a fan of green but I love how you put together the different schemes. Perfect for home decorating as well as jewelry. I viewed your other posts about the color of the year (looking for similar schemes for the 2011 color honeysuckle) but didn’t see posts with the current level of information. Any tips?
Emerald is a challenge for me, because I tend to associate it with Christmas & St. Patrick’s day, but I do like it paired with black, with royal blue, and with purple; and I love your analogous color scheme. Tetrad – I would love in a bouquet, but not necessarily in an outfit or piece of jewelry. Isn’t it wonderful that we are all unique, with strong associations to different colors?
I really needed to read your post about Pantone’s color of the year, because my gut reaction was honestly, Yuck, Green?!?
However, after seen your wonderful color schemes, I can see some possibilities with emerald (in small doses, for my taste).
Staying open-minded…
I’m liking the Tetrad Color Scheme. It’s the playful fun possibilities that get me excited especially going into spring and summer. Thanks for sharing, Rena!