subject: How "Hot" Gemstone Jewelry Trends Are Created [print this page] How "Hot" Gemstone Jewelry Trends Are Created
Did you ever wonder how "hot" gemstone jewelry colors are determined for upcoming fashion seasons? Coinciding with New York fashion week, Pantone Color Institute releases a highly anticipated seasonal color report. This report is used by all types of designers from fashion to home dcor to graphics - as a definitive guide for fashionable color selections.
Pantone's Fall/Winter 2010 Report lists 10 warm to cool shades (pictured left) as the design palette for Fall and Winter fashion apparel. These trendy colors will be used in fashion accessories and ready-to-wear jewelry too.
For jewelry designers, the seasonal guide tells them what color and type of gemstones can best compliment fashion fabrics and textures. In ready-to-wear and production jewelry, classic best-selling designs are commonly updated to new color trends by simply changing out gemstones, based on color.
The forecasted Fall and Winter 2010 colors range from glowing fanta orange to elegant chocolate truffle. This broad and colorfully bright palette offers many opportunities for lesser known, yet very affordable gems to take center stage at retail jewelry counters this year.
Color guidelines provide an easy reference list to identify color-matching and color-contrasting loose gemstones such as shown below for Pantone's Top 10 Fall/Winter colors. Jewelry-grade gems are usually purchased at wholesale gem shows and from wholesale gemstone suppliers.
Color No 1 - Endive - is a bright yellow-green reminiscent of colors appearing in these stones:
Aragonite
Calcite
Crazy Lace Agate
Heliodore
Tourmaline (Yellow)
Turquoise (Yellow Green)
Jade (Yellow)
Lemon Chrysoprase
Color No 2 - Golden Glow instantly brings to mind the sparkling fanta orange of Spessartite Garnet as well as these orange-colored gems:
Flame Agate
Carnelian
Sunstone
Amber
Fire Opal
Hessonite Garnet
Montana Agate
Color No. 3 - Living Coral is a very short list unless one uses recycled dyed coral or a color-matched synthetic. Coral-tones appear naturally in the following:
Coral
Sardonyx
Poppy Jasper
Color No 4 - Lipstick Red - looks a lot like the brownish-red that is common to Mookite. Deepening reds can be found in these gemstones:
Carnelian
Garnet
Mahogany Obsidian
Red Jasper
Red Tiger Eye
Red Spinel
Color No 5 - Purple Orchid expresses the fine richness of dark Amethyst. Deep purples are also found in these stones:
Charoite
Fluorite
Lepidolite
Purple Aventurine
Spinel
Sugilite
Color No 6 - Chocolate Truffle provides interesting color and texture choices in this selection of gemstones:
Black Lip Oyster Shell
Amphibolite
Black Moonstone
Black Obsidian
Black Tourmaline
Bulls Eye Agate
Jet
Lava
Lodestone
Onyx
Snowflake Obsidian
Tektite
Color No 7 - Lagoon is a continuation of the aquatic theme that made Turquoise a summer season favorite. Fall and Winter teal colored gems include:
Amazonite
Apatite
Chrysocolla
Turquoise
Chrysocolla
Color No 8 Woodbine is a deep forest green is a gentle reminder of the pure greens found in Moss Agate. Woodland green colors can be found in these stones:
African Jade
Bloodstone
Chrome Diopside
Green Garnet
Green Tourmaline
Jade
Malachite
Nevada Lapis
Prehnite
Rhyolite (Rainforest Jasper)
Ruby Zoisite
Serpentine
Tree Agate
Vesuvianite
Color No 9 - Oyster Gray is that lovely silver patina found in fine quality Chrysoberyl Cats Eye. Other gray-to-silver colored gems include:
Banded Agate
Hawks Eye
Tourmilated Quartz
Picasso Jasper
Soapstone
Silver Leaf Jasper
Silver Moonstone
Silver Topaz
Turitella
Zebra Jasper
Color No 10 - Rose Dust is mindful of the opaque pink found in Rhodochrosite or the dull pink tone found in poor quality peach moonstone. Pink colored gemstones for possible color matching include:
