When your customers come in wearing clothes that are made in the year’s hottest hues (the It Color of 2013 is emerald green, according to Pantone), sales associates will need to suggest complementary colors of jewelry and gemstones. Of course, the variations are plentiful and depend on personal taste, but I posed the question to the Facebook jewelry community and some recent interviewees to get a long list of suggestions—from lemon yellow to lavender, and navy blue to lapis. The rest of the replies are below. Want to add your opinion to the mix? Weigh in through the comment function.
Black and White
“Black and white are great with emerald because they offer such a bold and graphic contrast to the bright green.”
—Brooke Magnaghi, stylist, New York City
“Emeralds and black diamonds—it’s such a hot look and really pops the rich green!”
—Lara Covan, Norman Covan, Los Angeles
Emerald and black diamond earrings from Christelle Limited
“Black and champagne diamonds because it simply looks complete that way!”
—Dharmesh Kothari, co-owner, Syna Jewels, Fort Lee, N.J.
“White and black for that classic Art Deco look!”
—Bryan McAllister, sales, Le Vian, Great Neck, N.Y.
Emerald and black and colorless diamond bracelet from Royal India
Different Shades of Blue and Green
“In jewelry, I love to see emerald color-blocked with other shades of greens and blue, like chalcedony, turquoise, lapis, tsavorite, and jade, to name a few. It creates quite a water-meets-the-sky effect, which is what Colette was inspired by in her Alas collection. Wendy Yue also does beautiful combinations of green—especially when she mixes carved jade with tsavorite.”
—Janet Goldman, owner, Fragments, New York City
Ring in 18k gold with 12.26 cts. t.w. opal, 4.63 cts. t.w. green garnet, 2.02 cts. t.w. tanzanite, 1.62 cts. t.w. brown diamonds, and 0.05 ct. t.w. pink sapphires; $12,335; Wendy Yue at Fragments
“I love gold jewelry with green and blue enamel from the 1960s and 1970s!”
—April Matteini, owner, aprilm.com fashion jewelry boutique, Miami, Fla.
“I like emeralds with a blue secondary. So I’d pair one with a blue-hued gem to bring out the secondary.”
—Karen Sam, owner, K. Sam Jewels, New York City
Multi, Lola, and Via Three Petal pendants in sterling with resin; $54, $85, $54; DA Metals
Grays, Browns, and Greens
“I am buying greens, blacks, browns, and grays as these are accent colors so clients can mix all the elements together.”
—Lisa Glynn, manager, Diane Glynn Distinctive Jewelry, Jenkintown, Pa.
“Chocolate brown or aubergine, and then add white for contrast.”
—Marla Aaron, owner, Marla Aaron Jewelry, New York City
Kimberly McDonald for Gemfields
Orange
“Orange sapphire because of the tension between the two colors and a lighter green to pop the dark green.”
—Jennifer Dawes, Jennifer Dawes Jewelry, Santa Rosa, Calif.
“Burnt orange because it makes a very elegant combination.”
—Wendell Figueroa Ruiz, co-owner, Rex Communications, New York City
Tourmaline and spessartite garnet from Jose Hadad
Pink
“Emerald color-blocked with pops of pink is also interesting. Stella Flame did a great cuff with malachite and pink tourmaline.”
—Janet Goldman
“Nigerian pink tourmaline—it is kind of a dark brownish orange pink—and kind of like salmon pink but with brown in it and in a dark tone.”
—David Saad, Skyjems.net
“Hot pink and tangerine…navy blue and neon or bright yellow, and camel and cream. I could go on…just stay away from red, as in Christmas/plaid, pastels—which are too muted—and, brown (yawn).”
—Jennifer Gandia, co-owner, Greenwich Jewelers, New York City
The Printemps ring in 18k rose gold with a 2.05 ct. pink tourmaline, 1.63 cts. t.w. tsavorite garnets, and 2.5 mm white pearls, by Caesar Azzam of Caesar’s Designs, received an Honorable Mention in the Evening Wear division of the AGTA Spectrum Awards 2013
Photo: John Parrish
Purple and Turquoise
“I prefer it by itself or maybe with a little turquoise or something in the purple family.”
—Margery Kramer Hirschey, owner, Margery Hirschey Jewelry, Boulder, Colo.
“Emerald green can look fantastic and unexpected with robin’s egg blue, or, in jewelry speak, Persian turquoise.”
—Marla Aaron
Emerald and amethyst ring sold by Christie’s
Turquoise and emerald necklace from de Grisogono
Yellow (Gems and Gold)
“I really appreciate emerald green with canary yellow (diamonds, golden spessartites, or sapphires), and all of them set in yellow gold.”
—Jose Hadad, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
“I like to see it surrounded in 18k gold or an even higher yellow gold, à la Spanish Conquista crucifixes and Inca royalty chalices.”
—Rick Bannerot, luxury consultant, Stamford, Conn.
Coomi for Gemfields
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