This year's color trends in jewelry and gemstones offer wonderful opportunities for experimentation for jewelry makers everywhere. From larger and more colorful Akoya cultured pearls to multi-colored iridescent Tahitian pearls and gray-black to jet black cultured pearls, you'll have more latitude than ever to create stunning jewelry designs. This year's hues will let you design pieces that are as much a study in contrasts as the colors in the Pantone spring 2014 palette. Or, if you'd like to get a jump on the shades that will be hot this fall, Pantone's autumn picks will give you even more to work with in putting together earrings, necklaces, pendants and bracelets that will make your wardrobe pop.

 

 

Spring, 2014 Color Inspiration

If you're inclined to combine your pastel gems with bolder colored stones to create your jewelry masterpieces this season — ala the spring palette — or you decide to pair jewelry made entirely from bright-colored stones with more subdued apparel colors, or vice versa, this season's palette, which combines neutral and pastel shades with bold, vivid hues, will help you create exciting designs that provide dramatic accents for your spring wardrobe and beyond.

On the pastels and neutrals end of the Pantone spring 2014 color spectrum, the lovely yet unassuming aquamarine gemstone reminds one distinctly of this season's Placid Blue, as do several other stones. Likewise, serpentine, peridot, and variscite — a green stone that's often confused with turquoise — nicely represent Hemlock. Smoky quartz and the champagne diamond aptly reflect the neutral Sand motif, and on the deeper, more vivid side, citrine and honey jade make a great match for Freesia. Lapis lazuli and tanzanite fit the image of Dazzling Blue; chalcedony and iolite closely match Violet Tulip, and coral, garnet and ruby create the distinct impression of Cayenne. Pantone's Paloma and Celosia Orange are reflected in stones like gray moonstone and sunstone or fire opal. And to top it all off, alexandrite, amethyst, and kunzite closely resemble 2014's color of the year: Radiant Orchid.

 

Looking Ahead to 2014's Fall Colors

If you prefer to focus on the hues that are slated to help you dress to impress later this year, you'll have a whole new array of colors to discover in the amazing variety of natural and cultured stones and beads that are available to crafters today. But, no matter which seasonal palette you choose, you'll be free to highlight stones like alexandrite, kunzite and amethyst, since both 2014 palettes include Radiant Orchid: this year's trendiest shade.

Inspiration from the Experts

Whether you aspire to follow in the footsteps of David Yurman, creating distinctive jewelry classics, or are more inclined to emulate the pieces in the sleek, glamorous Elaine Turner line, you'll find that this season's trendiest gemstone colors — in both smooth and faceted stones — will combine well with gold, silver, and copper metals. If your style leans more toward the simple yet stunningly feminine designs of Pandora Beads, you'll still find plenty to work with among 2014's shades.

If you love big, bold, brightly-colored or luxuriously elegant designs like those in the Kendra Scott collection, you'll be free to take your creativity and imagination to brand new heights as you experiment with the color combinations that will make your necklace, bracelet, or earrings completely unique yet 100 percent up-to-the-minute.