Wire Jewelry Idea: Borrow Color Palettes from the Fashion Industry

By on November 9, 2011
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by Rose Marion, Wire-Sculpture.com

Wire Jewelry Idea for
November 9, 2011

Tis the season for handcrafted jewelry artists to be pulling out the pliers and making gifts for all their family and friends. But are you stuck on what to be making for your loved ones this year? Maybe you’ve settled on who gets what, vaguely – like you overheard your niece wishing for a collar necklace this fall, or you’ve got the perfect light-blue aquamarine cabochon to bring out your sister’s eyes, but you haven’t decided how to use it.

One place you can turn to is Pantone, known to all types of designers as the authority on color. Pantone’s Fall 2011 Color Report is one source for jewelry inspiration that will help you with your gift-giving this season, for a very simple reason: you’re not the only one using the Pantone color chart. Big clothing retailers across the country are referencing the same color chart! I’ve been seeing these colors come in to my local big-box stores since this spring, and I even have some shirts that exactly match Cedar, Coffee Liqueur, and Honeysuckle, and an Orchid Hush sweater (see chart below). So if you design using a color palette similar to Pantone’s Fall colors, you stand a very good chance to match or complement the wardrobe of the folks you’re giving gifts to! There’s nothing like opening a box of earrings and knowing with pleasure exactly which outfits will go with them!

Pantone Fall Colors for Jewelry Design

Pantone(R)'s Fall 2011 Palette (Click to View Larger)

Here are some jewelry supplies I picked out from the Wire-Sculpture warehouse that follow the Pantone Fall 2011 Palette. Not all the colors are an exact match, but I really enjoyed putting together different color combinations I’d never thought of before! And some stones actually match several colors in the palette, like Fire Agate (Bamboo and Emberglow) and Sardonyx (Coffee Liqueur, Nougat, and Orchid Hush).

I hope this gives you some fresh new color ideas, and who knows, the earrings or pendant you make from this palette just might match your friend’s or your new wardrobe this season! Happpy creating, and let me know your favorites in the comments below!

Bamboo

Yellow Fluorite OOAKs  

Yellow Fluorite OOAKs
Harmony Serpentine  

Harmony Serpentine
Yellow Brass Wire  

Yellow Brass Wire
Topaz Swarovski Beads  

Topaz Swarovski® Beads
Citrine  

Citrine

Emberglow

Fire Agate  

Fire Agate
Dark Red Coral Swarovski Beads  

Dark Red Coral Swarovski® Beads
Cherry Quartz  

Cherry Quartz
Aventurine  

Aventurine
Colorful Druzy  

Colorful Druzy

Honeysuckle

Hot Pink Craft Wire  

Hot Pink Craft Wire
Rhodochrosite  

Rhodochrosite
Rose Swarovski Beads  

Rose Swarovski® Beads

Phlox

Purple Fluorite OOAKs  

Purple Fluorite OOAKs
Purple Candy Jade  

Purple Candy Jade
Charoite  

Charoite
Dark Amethyst Cubic Zirconia  

Dark Amethyst Cubic Zirconia
Purple Druzy  

Purple Druzy

Cedar

Peace Stone Jasper  

Peace Stone Jasper
Quan Yin Jade Carving  

Quan Yin Jade Carving
Buddha Jade Carving  

Buddha Jade Carving
Nephrite Jade  

Nephrite Jade
Peridot  

Peridot

Deep Teal

Blue Zircon Swarovski Beads  

Blue Zircon Swarovski® Beads
Teal Enameled Craft Wire  

Teal Enameled Craft Wire
Emerald Swarovski Beads  

Emerald Swarovski® Beads

Coffee Liqueur

Vintage Bronze Craft Wire  

Vintage Bronze Craft Wire
Smoky Quartz  

Smoky Quartz
Botswana Agate  

Botswana Agate
Tigereye  

Tigereye
Sardonyx  

Sardonyx

Nougat

Aragonite  

Aragonite
Rose Gold Craft Wire  

Rose Gold Craft Wire
Natural Druzy  

Natural Druzy
Riverstone Jasper  

Riverstone Jasper

Orchid Hush

Blue Lace Agate  

Blue Lace Agate
Mother of Pearl Beads  

Mother of Pearl Beads
Mother of Pearl Carving  

Mother of Pearl Carving
Tourmilated Quartz  

Tourmilated Quartz

Quarry

Light Sapphire Swarovski Beads  

Light Sapphire Swarovski® Beads
Aqua Glass  

Aqua Glass
Aquamarine Beads  

Aquamarine Beads
Ocean Turquoise Colored Jasper  

Ocean Turquoise Colored Jasper
Amazonite Beads  

Amazonite Beads
Aquamarine Swarovski Beads  

Aquamarine Swarovski® Beads

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15 Comments

  1. avatar

    Jil S

    November 9, 2011 at 9:22 am

    This is a GREAT piece of information to have. I just never know what people want in a given season. This really helps!

    Thanks!

  2. avatar

    Carolyn Nau

    November 9, 2011 at 9:34 am

    Thank you…Without even knowing this I’ve been stocking up on Amethyst, chaorite for the first time ever, peridot, jades, and lots of amazonite, it comes in some interesting color variations. Just spent the weekend working with the bronze craft wire, love it. I don’t shop much, so tend to not pay that much attention to the trends, but surprisingly, these stones all go with the pallets I’ve been putting together for my jewelry. Other beautiful stones for amber glow would be sunstone and carnelian.

    Teal and the blues also look for the fired agate being sold at the bead shows…this is one I prefer to buy in person because some of the strands aren’t at all well-matched, but they have some incredible choices.

    Look for some amazing stone pendants in agate, many with some crystalization and druzy, super cheap $5 or so, ready to use as is, or dress up with a little wire.

  3. avatar

    Susan Puckett

    November 9, 2011 at 10:38 am

    This was a most helpful tip. Thank you

  4. avatar

    Lynne Hopkins

    November 9, 2011 at 11:24 am

    This is a great idea.
    However, all my fall jewelry is completed because we are mid fall. How about some ideas for next spring and summer’s colors.
    Thanks.

    • avatar

      Rose

      November 9, 2011 at 2:03 pm

      Sure thing Lynne… I’m planning to do a post on spring colors soon! (And good for you for being ahead!)

  5. avatar

    Earnestine

    November 9, 2011 at 12:51 pm

    Thank you so much for this tip. I am going to print a copy and take it with me when I shop for beads.

  6. avatar

    Judi

    November 9, 2011 at 2:14 pm

    What a fabulous tip. I will definately be using this. Thank you.

  7. avatar

    Lynda

    November 9, 2011 at 2:35 pm

    When making things for mid- to late-season sales, I try to use colors that are transitional from the current season to the next. This way, the items work well with both seasons. Also, I pay attention to the more neutral tones and make several things in those since they are also good season-spanners.

  8. avatar

    Sherry

    November 9, 2011 at 5:33 pm

    This is wonderful Dale/Rose! This helps a lot!

  9. avatar

    Linda Keesee

    November 10, 2011 at 9:40 am

    Thank you, this is wonderful information to have. This will help me out when go shopping. With so many choices I never know what to buy when I get there.

  10. avatar

    Margaret Lakas

    November 11, 2011 at 1:01 pm

    I too recently learned of this company. I signed up for their information and they send me weekly emails. They apparently influence every aspect of life in terms of color. Paint mfg, furniture and just about everything. I’ve learned a lot about color through this company’s information to use in photography. Photoshop and some other photo software also use their color palate. How did you get the chart? I’ve only seen what they have for sale and they are very pricey! Thanks for the information and the chart.

    • avatar

      dalecgr

      November 11, 2011 at 5:19 pm

      Well Margaret, Rose has her special ways!! It’s nice to have a copy of the chart though, glad you like it!

    • avatar

      Rose

      November 11, 2011 at 6:57 pm

      Glad you liked the chart, Margaret! It’s simple to make charts like this in Photoshop. And yes – Pantone is surprisingly everywhere, if you’re looking for it :)

  11. avatar

    Denise

    November 12, 2011 at 12:29 am

    This is great information. As a graphic specialist, I am familiar with Pantone, in fact, if I’m trying to match colors, I’ll sometimes go to the “chip” book to try many different colors before going to the bead shop. Then I’m not flying blind. A few years back when my husband and I moved into a new house, I brought home a “chip” book and pulled colors of the carpet in different rooms. A big help when redecorating.

  12. avatar

    Nan

    November 21, 2011 at 8:58 am

    Another resource I use along with pantone are paint chips. You can go to any paint resource and get “Fall” fashion colors of course other seasons as well!