Trends in Color

Color evokes passion and drives many a jewelry sale. That’s why retailers must know the new hues their clients are seeing, and there’s no better time than now to get acquainted.

That’s because at the tail end of each fourth quarter, the PANTONE Color Institute debuts its Color of the Year, a key marketing tool. “Retailers should be using color psychology, along with the PANTONE Color of the Year, to boost their color sales,” insists Monica McDaniel, vice president of Chatham, Inc.

Whether that particular color (Peach Fuzz in 2024) ends up in new jewelry creations or not, color should play a role in store offerings simply for the joyful diversity it provides in a sea of diamond designs. Even Shefi Diamonds likes to capitalize on the momentum PANTONE provides—look to its Peach Blossom Morganite collection as an example—while Lali Jewelry’s Perilynn Glasner, marketing and design director, uses color blocking as an in-store tool to help guide sales.

“Find out what colors the client is attracted to and go from there,” she urges.

Read on to learn more about how manufacturers are leaning into color for 2024 success.

PANTONE’s New Hue

Every December, as many eagerly stock up on presents for loved ones, PANTONE, the color authority, gifts the world an extra-special lagniappe called the Color of the Year. The hue aims to excite consumers about the directional force that color can have and is seen across many categories—from clothes to interior design to accessories. For 2024 the shade is Peach Fuzz, and jewelry manufacturers are hurriedly mapping out the ways they can help retail clients offer appropriate merchandise.

“Color is a powerful psychological tool that should be used by retailers to convert sales,” says Monica McDaniel, vice president, Chatham, Inc. “Different gemstone colors evoke specific emotions and associations. Understanding this can help market and sell gemstones more effectively.”

PANTONE tells us that Peach Fuzz “is a velvety gentle peach tone whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and soul … capturing our desire to nurture ourselves and others.”

Makers agree with the choice, calling it a good one for all the uncertainty the world is currently experiencing.

McDaniel says that it’s “human nature to seek out things that bring us hope and joy. With its warm and inviting tone, Peach Fuzz is an endearing color that accomplishes just that!”

Valerie Fletcher, vice president of design and product development for ODI, says the Color of the Year “influences everything from textiles to interior design to graphic design and … consumers’ jewelry choices. The Pantone color trend report can be a useful tool when choosing product for your store.”

Surbhi Jain agrees. “It’s crucial to emphasize its role in driving sales, enhancing brand image, and connecting with the ever-evolving tastes of consumers,” says the marketing director for Shefi Diamonds. “Encouraging retailers to embrace this annual color trend positions them as forward-thinking and responsive to the dynamic landscape of design.”

In terms of product, Peach Fuzz offers many opportunities to match its color and complement others. For starters, nearly every firm interviewed calls morganite a near perfect match for the PANTONE color.

Shefi Diamonds has a Peach Blossom brand featuring morganite in both bridal and fashion styles, and its Cinnamon Dulce collection pairs morganite with champagne diamonds, creating a “harmonious combination,” says Jain.

Lab-grown gemstone maker Chatham is well prepared for Peach Fuzz requests given its three different shades of champagne-color lab-grown sapphire, one of which has “richly saturated peach dominant undertones,” notes McDaniel. In Chatham’s upper-end Legacy Collection, lab-grown champagne sapphires are set in 18k rose gold. In fact, Chatham even planned to expand offerings in this material before the PANTONE announcement was made.

“We started to see an increased demand for this color preference since this past summer of 2023,” McDaniel continues. It’s a similar story at Imperial, which debuted rose gold, morganite, and freshwater pearls—peachy pink and white—together long before the Color of the Year was a consideration.

They did so because it was pretty, and now Kathy Grenier, vice president of business development, wonders if Peach Fuzz will “reignite interest” in its morganite selections. Regardless, sharing trend information like the Color of the Year “helps establish Imperial as a source retailers can count on not only for pearls,” she explains.

Royal Chain, too, is banking on the appeal of rose gold and white freshwater pearls, and is positioning that look as an ideal companion for Peach Fuzz–color gems and accessories.

And while Lali Jewelry’s Perilynn Glasner, marketing and design director, will use Peach Fuzz as a backdrop on social media to make her company’s SKUs—some with complementary shades of aquamarine, blue topaz, and green amethyst—pop, others are keen to pair last year’s shade with this new one.

Fletcher is among the enthused. “Because this year’s color falls right next to last year’s Viva Magenta and almost directly across from 2022’s Very Peri, Peach Fuzz blends nicely with either one,” she explains. “So, if you’re someone who buys into the color every year, you now have some great stacking opportunities.”

Color to Wear

While there’s no doubt that Americans love their bright white diamonds, nothing else elicits the emotional response of color and colored gemstones. Makers and merchants who embrace color know its appeal, which is why a slew of new collections are putting a variety of shades in the spotlight.

“Color is a tremendous opportunity for retailers,” maintains Monica McDaniel, vice president, Chatham, Inc. “Color creates higher margins and expands your bottom line. It also creates options for your customer. Data shows that by exposing your customers to an assortment of color possibilities, custom sales increase exponentially.” 

Beyond morganite encapsulating PANTONE’s 2024 Peach Fuzz, jewelry manufacturers have rainbow-like assortments to cater to every taste. At ODI, smoky quartz is set in yellow gold to complement neutrals, earth tones, greens, and metallics, making it a gem with unmatched diversity.

“Smoky quartz can be dark and moody or warm and natural,” says Valerie Fletcher, vice president of design and product development. “It’s great for night or day, and it’s affordable in larger sizes.”

Other collections that define ODI’s new offerings include multicolor bezel-set gemstone bracelets like the ones seen on Taylor Swift during her New Eras concert tour. Another is ODI’s LoveFire Greenland Ruby Collection and Polar Pink Greenlandic Sapphire Collection, both complete with displays, marketing materials, and books and videos “to help the sales team and the consumers better understand the rarity, provenance and value of the gems,” adds Fletcher.

Imperial’s new color-rich jewels feature enamel and lab-created blue and pink sapphire and lab-created emerald. It features the lab-growns with pearls in sterling silver offerings to “do something exploratory without a huge investment,” says Kathy Grenier, vice president of business development.

New jewels from Royal Chain feature citrine and mother-of-pearl, and at Shefi Diamonds, aquamarine takes center stage in its Aquabella Collection. At Chatham, Inc., lab-grown chrysoberyl and lab-grown Paraíba-colored spinel debuted in the last year.

“Lab-grown chrysoberyl is a stunning mint green that pairs nicely in both white and yellow gold,” says McDaniel. “Lab-grown Paraíba-colored spinel is a striking seafoam blue, reminiscent of the gorgeous Paraíba tourmaline color.”

This year, more new colors drop at Chatham, including a lab-grown purple sapphire added to its loose stone color menu.

“We have received a great number of requests for purple sapphire in recent years, McDaniel continues. “We will be adding this new color to our stock items list in all the traditional shapes and sizes.”  Chatham’s lab-grown champagne sapphire, meanwhile, will be incorporated into new designs for spring-summer 2024.

“Styles will be an expansion of our latest collections, which exhibit clean lines, bezel settings, textured metals, and some geometrics,” adds McDaniel. “Shapes will include emerald cut, pear, round, as well as some of Chatham’s exclusive cuts like the onion and flame.”

At Lali Jewelry, trunk shows are a great place for the brand to test new options and let clients dive into all available products and discover their own preferences. But heed this tip, insists Perilynn Glasner, marketing and design director: Never assume what the customer would like. “Show them more than what they asked for, and you’ll be surprised to see what piques their interest,” she says.

Color-Blocking 101

Couture runways aren’t the only places where color-blocking occurs—it happens, too, in new jewelry collections and is an important concept for jewelers to understand.

Color-blocking pairs opposite colors together for fashion victories (think Mondrian and Stephen Burrows). Fine jewelers need the savvy to confidently suggest colored gemstone and enamel jewels to clients who enter stores in the season’s latest hues. So, when merchants are facing shoppers in Peach Fuzz–color T-shirts, he or she can quickly offer complementary champagne diamonds or, on the other end of the spectrum, minty-green garnets or chrysoprase for an über Miami Vice vibe.

This is valuable information, maintains Monica McDaniel, vice president, Chatham, Inc.

“Anytime jewelry and fashion intersect, you find the ultimate self-expression,” she notes. “Retailers need to understand trends and how to use color in their conversations with the client. Guiding and offering up suggestions sets you apart from other jewelers.”

It’s also meaningful because “it creates an organized shopping experience for the customer,” observes Perilynn Glasner, marketing and design director for Lali Jewelry. During in-store events, her sales teams use color-blocking techniques to showcase collections effectively.

Chatham, Inc., spends a lot of time training its sales force on color lore, symbolism, and how to create a wardrobe around color choices.

“We tell retailers all the time, search engines can show product faster than you can,” says McDaniel. “If the client is inside your store, it’s because they are seeking out your expertise. Furthermore, they want to touch and feel the merchandise.”

According to Surbhi Jain, marketing director of Shefi Diamonds, color-blocking also touches on tonal hues within the same color. Valerie Fletcher, vice president of design and product development at ODI, agrees, adding that color blocking “doesn’t always have to be ‘opposites attract.’” Instead, “It can be two similar shades that create an ombré effect,” she says. “The Fall-Winter 2024 collections of designers like Fendi, Prabal Gurung, and Carolina Herrera use bright color blocking, while Prada does a more muted look.”

In ODI’s jewelry, this translates to two-stone rings featuring a pink tourmaline and a tanzanite, or a red ruby and a pink sapphire.

“Depending on the person, color can be something to be collected and worn in bunches, or it can be intimidating,” Fletcher continues. “For the wary consumer, start with a neutral—like smoky quartz—or a color that blends easily with their wardrobe. Then add larger and brighter pieces that pop.”

Carla Corporation has discovered that grouping like colored gemstone jewels together helps close sales. “It directs the customer’s attention to a specific showcase keeping them focused on the styles available and the task at hand,” offers Brian Fleming, senior vice president.

More tips to sell color from Fleming include stocking and displaying price-point levels to accommodate a variety of budgets and displaying unique and classic styles together to allow staff to best parse options according to taste.

Shefi’s Jain, meanwhile, has this guidance to direct color sales: explore birthstone jewels, personalize with clients’ favorite colors, and embrace trends.

“Stay current by incorporating trends like the Pantone Color of the Year, appealing to customers with a penchant for fashionable choices,” she says.