Rose Quartz and Serenity - Colours for 2016

At this time of the year it's always fascinating to see which new key colour has been chosen by Pantone and the thinking behind that choice.  For fashion buyers it's an important indication of what people may be looking for in the coming months.

Last year we had Masala which was a deep red-brown spice colour usually found in autumn collections but it was teamed with some interesting and unusual palette combinations that took it through all four seasons and made it so exciting.

For 2016 Pantone have introduced two colours for the very first time. They chose Rose Quartz (pale pink) and also Serenity (pale blue).

At first I wasn't enamoured by the choice as both seem to me to be a bit 'wishy-washy' but then seeing them together, combined with other colours they started to make sense and it seemed like they would really capture the Zeitgeist for this year.

Rose quartz is a stone which has been in and out of fashion more times than I've had hot dinners. It can vary from the palest pink-grey (dull and drab) to a much deeper and richer, vibrant pink. It is often found in jewellery made in India.

Deposits of the stone are found in Brazil, Madagascar, India and the USA. It's also known as the 'Love Stone' and opens the heart chakra,  so symbolises all love from platonic love, family love and also self-love (not THAT sort of self love!)

With the strength of the love energy comes inner warmth, peace and calm. So it’s a happy, fulfilling and loving symbol.

Finding stones to match Serenity was much more difficult as this colour is a blue with a hint of lilac which makes it very warm and soft, like a late summer evening sky.

Pale blue stones such a blue topaz tend to be more vibrant with a sharper and cleaner tonal blue, whilst popular stones such a turquoise have green overtones.

Chalcedony is a type of agate comes close but still has more of a grey tone and can vary quite a bit from one piece to another. We then have to look at man made stones which can match up the Serenity colour perfectly, and why not? 

The colour Serenity is an airy colour and reminiscent of balmy summer days playing on the beach, having fun. It’s a colour to bring respite and relaxation even in these fraught times and it's the symbolism, and how it makes us feel which is important.

We've chosen a few pieces of jewellery to reflect these coming trends and some especially for those who don't want to embrace this whole new colour combination.

It's great to pick a few accent colours with either earrings or a necklace, which can then pull in other colours. It's also good to re-evaluate next season's wardrobe and see what is already there and come up with new ways of colour combining. 

Choose one item of jewellery in serenity and add a dash of rose quartz nail colour or lip gloss. Or a pair of rose quartz earrings teamed with a granite grey top.

Our rose quartz jewellery has been set in sterling silver which has been rose gold-plated. This has brought rose quartz bang up-to-date and also added a strong contrast colour which makes it a really warm and inviting piece of jewellery.

Adding a strong colour next to a soft colour also brings a bit of fun.  Accent colours with clear and lilac crystals have added a subtle touch. Rose quartz is usually found as a cabochon which means a smooth and rounded surface. Faceting rose quartz has made it look modern and more opulent.

Serenity needs a cooler metal colour and looks perfect with silver, gold would fight it and overwhelm the calming effect.

https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year-2016