Colored gemstone

   
Pantone has been promoting its top 10 fashion colors for the past 23 years — that’s 46 seasons — but for spring 2018, its seasonal palette identifies a whopping 16 hues. Rising to the top as Color of the Year is Ultra Violet, which Pantone has described as “inventive and imaginative,” as well as “complex and contemplative.”
   Fashion and the people who interact with it are letting go of traditional color guidelines in favor of greater color experimentation year round, says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “Consumers need more variety, and this expanded palette embraces the lack of gender and seasonal borders we’re seeing within the fashion industry.”
   Both the palette and its leading hue speak to trends of experimentation and nonconformity that are spurring people to imagine how they can push boundaries through colorful self-expression, continues Eiseman. She describes the color story as “a kaleidoscopic bounty of uplifting shades inspired by a feeling of optimism and confidence.”
   The 12 leading colors of the season are bright yellow Meadowlark, orangey-red Cherry Tomato, azure Little Boy Blue, earthy red Chili Oil, soft Pink Lavender, blushing Blooming Dahlia, cool green Arcadia, Ultra Violet, chocolate Emperador, delicate Almost Mauve, fuchsia Spring Crocus, and pungent Lime Punch, along with four neutral shades that work well on their own or as backdrops for more complex color combinations: navy Sailor Blue, dove-gray Harbor Mist, Warm Sand, and Coconut Milk.
   In fashion, the greater use of color in more creative combinations reflects global cultural influences, particularly from Asia, India and the Middle East, says Michael O’Connor, jewelry stylist and president of marketing firm Style & Substance. “This broader palette is the perfect base for jewelry designers to promote the wide range of color stones available.”

Palette pleasing
There are gemstones for every one of the new colors, cheers designer Puja Bordia of Miami-based jeweler Tresor. “Pink spinel for Spring Crocus, purple spinel or tanzanite for Ultra Violet, rainbow or milky moonstone for Coconut Milk, yellow beryl or even Ethiopian opal for Meadowlark, and chrysoprase for Arcadia. I especially love these colors, as they are very fresh and playful.”
   Jewelers of America (JA) cites four dominant colors appearing in the gem-set entries for its annual 2018 fine jewelry preview in September. Little Boy Blue manifests in fashion-forward opal designs, Ultra Violet in rich tanzanites and purple sapphires, Cherry Tomato in coral and fire opals, and Arcadia in emeralds and green sapphires, according to JA public relations director Amanda Gizzi.
   Blue remains a bestselling color, with jewelry brand Le Vian declaring blue sapphire the gem for 2018, and other denim-hued stones like topaz and aquamarine popular. Since Pantone started promoting Color of the Year in 2000, shades of blue have come up five times; red has made four appearances, and green three. While trend trackers like O’Connor see a brightening of the palette after seasons of softer pastels, jewelry brands say ultra-feminine blush tones are still popular because they go with everything. Le Vian forecasts gems like morganite and Ethiopian opal, while Dharmesh Kothari, president of Syna in Fort Lee, New Jersey, touts moon quartz (Coconut Milk) and natural coral (Blooming Dahlia).

Color of the year
Ultra Violet is the second purple hue to make Pantone’s Color of the Year list, following Radiant Orchid in 2014. Purple has long been symbolic of counterculture, unconventionality and artistic brilliance, says Eiseman. Historically, there has been a mystical or spiritual quality attached to this color, often associated with mindfulness practices that offer refuge from today’s overstimulated world.
   “Ultra Violet is my favorite color, translated in gems like purple garnet, copper-bearing tourmalines, and dark amethyst,” says New York-based designer Bella Campbell, noting that it pairs well with colors like orange and red.
   Sweta Jain of Goshwara, also based in New York, sees Ultra Violet as more of a winter shade, pointing to iolite and indicolite in the color range.
   However, some expected the Color of the Year to be yellow, a hue of hope and optimism. O’Connor reports more celebrities wearing yellow on the red carpet at recent award shows. In a Facebook poll, Stuller asked consumers for their predictions, and “Minion Yellow” ranked number one. Ashley Corley, gemstone product manager for the Lafayette, Louisiana-based manufacturer, says yellow’s appeal in fashion is inspiring jewelry with gems like sapphire and citrine. Only once since 2000 has a yellow-based shade been Color of the Year: Mimosa in 2009. But she feels yellow will still be key in 2018, because it’s an elegant, happy color to wear.

The language of fashion
“The Pantone colors really help us market jewelry in new and exciting ways, especially because they go hand-in-hand with fashion, and people are paying attention,” says Jain. Bordia, too, considers the palette a great tool for jewelers to forecast the colors people will see in fashion. Seasonal colors sell much faster, she notes, because that’s what everyone wants.
   “Pantone’s color palettes give jewelers an opportunity to plan combinations in jewelry,” adds Kothari. “We know a lot of clothing will be representing these colors, and having the palettes gives us a heads-up to what’s coming.”
   Corley touts Pantone as a conversation-starter for gems beyond birthstone, while Gizzi advises jewelers to show fashions, color swatches and jewelry together to help customers make the connection between a trend and its jewelry counterpart.
   “Speaking the Pantone language communicates color in a way that resonates with consumers by reinforcing popular seasonal hues they see in other categories,” Gizzi says.

Image: Shutterstock

Article from the Rapaport Magazine - January 2018. To subscribe click here.