The calendar tells me it’s fall. Up until now, the weather in New York has been saying something else.
Still, I love the season.
It always brings about a feeling of change and new adventures, and there is, of course, all of the amazing things people seem to love to make fun of others for enjoying these days: sweaters and chilly weather, changing leaves, pumpkin and apple picking, the start of the holiday season. I don’t care; I’m all about it. Experiencing fall in North Carolina as I was growing up probably didn’t hurt.
When we think of fall colors, it’s a lot of oranges, browns, dark reds and burgundies.
Many of these are included in the palette of colors that Pantone predicted would be hot this season. This year’s are slightly richer than the last, and also include some zesty hues that I think perfectly encapsulate summer’s hesitation to leave.
In the latest edition of my blog posts pairing Pantone’s palettes with colored stones, here’s how I would color block the shades with gems.
Golden Lime. I appreciate Pantone’s name of choice for this one because I feel like it puts a pretty positive spin on the color. To be honest, I look at it and think pea soup.
However, it does have some good yellow undertones that I think would be pulled out nicely with yellow gemstones, like a juicy yellow sapphire, lemon quartz, some citrine, yellow agate and the like.
Polly Wales’s disc hook earrings with yellow sapphires in 18-karat yellow gold ($2,970)
The Beetle ring from Anabela Chan features a citrine at center surrounded by pave-set amethysts, pink sapphires and garnets in 18-karat yellow gold and silver ($1,253).
Autumn Maple. If I had to pick a color to represent the whole season, this would probably be it. I know I don’t need to go over it again, but it represents all the best things: pumpkins, leaves, cooking with all the best spices.
I’m going to pair it with another color that has a fairly fall feel--purple--and its rich shades that you can find in amethyst, sapphires and spinel.
The Cirque knife edge arrow band from Jane Taylor Jewelry features amethyst and diamonds in 14-karat yellow gold ($880).
Sarah Hendler’s Ethel ball ring with amethyst and ballet slipper enamel in 18-karat yellow gold ($3,675)
Grenadine. While a fall palette wouldn’t be my first placement for a color like this, I love how much life it has, and I wanted to give it a less obvious pairing.
A grenadine-royal blue combination found while searching for ideas kept stopping me in my tracks, so I’m pairing this with the vibrant shades of stones like lapis, those famous blues of sapphire and even a great azurite.
Ana-Katarina’s Blue Velvet ring features lapis and 1.78 carats of diamonds set in 18-karat yellow and white gold ($16,500).
This is Anna Sheffield’s Orbit ombre band with blue sapphire, aquamarine and diamonds set in 18-karat rose gold ($1,700).
Ballet Slipper. It seems Rose Quartz being one of two
Pantone colors of the year in 2016 is having a long-term effect: Various shades similar to the pink hue keep showing up, and I expect it might continue for a bit.
The tone is so soft and feminine that I want to pair it with the crispness of the whites found with pearls, agate and mother of pearl.
Fernando Jorge’s Stream Wave band with mother of pearl set in 18-karat yellow gold ($2,320)
The Geo Teardrop ring from Mastoloni features a 9 to 9.5 mm white round cultured pearl with a teardrop shaped diamond splash, comprised of 17 brilliant diamonds, set in 18-karat yellow gold ($880).
Tawny Port. This color screams fall to me, with its rich, heavy shade.
Rather than complementing it with a pop of color, I’m keeping on the cool side of the color spectrum for a sleek look and pairing it with black. Think black sapphires, spinel, onyx or agate.
A 14-karat yellow gold, black obsidian and diamond claw wrap necklace from Rock and Gems Jewelry ($5,080)
Sorellina’s Axl Pelle Freccia earrings, with black onyx, green quartz and diamonds set in 18-karat yellow gold and black rhodium silver ($7,500)
Marina. Pantone said in late 2015 that when Serenity and Rose Quartz were paired together, the “color duo makes a striking statement on its own,” and I think they were on to something.
This color is a bit richer than Serenity, but I still want to pair it with light pinks as seen with rose quartz (the actual gemstone) and some morganite.
Anzie’s Cleo trillion necklace with morganite and diamonds in 14-karat white gold ($5,500)
From Arya Esha’s Galaxy collection, the Lara mini ring features a 3.61-carat rose quartz accented with 0.21 carats of diamonds in recycled 14-karat yellow gold ($1,500).
Navy. Navy blue is one of those deep, almost neutral shades that goes so beautifully with a brilliant pop of color.
I’m going to pair this with pink as well, but going this time with hues that are a bit more vibrant--I’m talking those shades of sapphire, spinel, tourmaline and kunzite.
Ayva Jewelry’s Rosette earrings featuring pink tourmaline, white sapphires and diamonds ($3,800)
From Bernard Nacht & Company’s Under the Crown estate jewelry collection is this ring featuring a 4.04-carat cushion shape purplish pink sapphire with two trillion shape diamonds weighing 1.10 carats and set in 18-kart yellow gold ($25,000).
Shaded Spruce. This is such a great color, but if I was wearing a piece of clothing in this shade, I would probably want to keep my accessories neutral.
I kept going back and forth between black and white as complements, and then realized that, thanks to mother earth, I don’t have to decide; there are options featuring both. So I’m matching this with the fascinating pieces of black and white agate.
This pendant from Doryn Wallach features marbled agate and 0.32 carats of pave diamonds made in 18-karat satin yellow gold ($8,780).
This ring from Pomellato’s Ritratto collection celebrating its 50th anniversary boasts a black and white “tuxedo” agate and diamonds in 18-karat rose gold ($11,500).
Butterum. This is like everyone’s favorite pair of khakis, but with a warmer undertone.
To give it a little bit more edge, and because I always love a color block of shades from the same family, I think Butterum would be great accented with darker browns, which offers the chance to get into some great organic materials.
K. Brunini Medium Twig ring in 18-karat white gold with a Cocobolo wood cabochon and 1.63 total carats of rose-cut diamonds ($24,750)
Pamela Huizenga’s necklace features round wood beads and pave diamond sections (9.16 total carats) with 18-karat gold (price available upon request).
Gray. I had to fight the urge to go with a standard gray-black pairing on this one and get a bit more creative. Rather than thinking in a fashion sense, I turned to jewelry design for inspiration and thought, what accents usually go with a gray diamond?
Instead of the sparkle and shine of white diamonds, though, I’m getting gemmy and pairing gray with the milky, shiny hues of moonstone and quartz.
The Moonclaw ring from Lisa Kim Fine Jewelry, featuring an 11 mm moonstone in 18-karat yellow gold ($3,485)
These earrings from Ruta Reifen feature rainbow moonstone and green sapphires set in 14-karat gold ($1,100).
Brecken Branstratoris the senior editor, gemstones at National Jeweler, covering sourcing, pricing and other developments in the colored stone sector.
