In early December, the PANTONE Color Institute unveiled its Color of the Year for 2025—Mocha Mousse. The milk chocolate shade is “a warming, brown hue imbued with richness,” according to the self-proclaimed Color Authority, headed up by Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman.

Mocha Mousse speaks to everyone’s love of comfort, chocolate, and coffee. According to PANTONE, Mocha Mousse also “echoes our innate yearning for closeness and connection … a shade that resonates with compassion, offers a tactile embrace, and effortlessly bridges the youthful with the timeless.”

Mocha Mousse suggests “the indulgence of simple pleasures that we can gift and share with others,” adds Eiseman.

Per usual, PANTONE also provides related colors that will blend nicely with the star. Among those are Cannoli Cream 11-4302, Chocolate Martini 19-1216, and more, all “imbued with a sensorial richness,” according to PANTONE.

Fine jewelers can capitalize on the Color of 2025 in several ways. First, merchants can help shoppers color-block with the Mocha Mousse clothing they come in wearing. (PANTONE shades are largely driven by the fashion industry, after all.)

This is a move that Valerie Fletcher, vice president of design and product development at ODI will make.

“On the other side of the color wheel are blue and teal shades, so bring out those sapphires, aquamarines, and Paraíba tourmalines for a striking and harmonious balance,” she says.

Blue and brown is a familiar color combo in the inventories of many. Nine-year-old LALI Jewels showcases it in turquoise and champagne diamonds, while Theresa Namie, merchandise manager, Ostbye maintains that Mocha Mousse will also look good with blue topaz or aquamarine.

“There are also some shades of red and green—like garnet and peridot—that will complement it,” she adds.

More color-blocked offerings include LALI Jewels’ whiskey quartz in white gold or paired with orange citrine.

Tone-on-tone variations are a hit as well.

“I think it’s great that they chose a neutral that can complement a wide range of colors and fabrics,” adds Fletcher. “Mocha Mousse will work well with bold gold jewelry and alternative materials such as wood and leather.”

Fletcher’s firm aims to “pull together a collection of pieces that match or work well with Mocha Mousse,” she continues. Among them? Champagne diamonds and smoky quartz set in yellow gold.

“We provide valuable insights on which gem colors harmonize or color-block well with the chosen hue—whether it’s a warm neutral like smoky quartz, champagne diamonds, or morganite,” explains Surbhi Jain, marketing director, SHEFI Diamonds. Her design house is also preparing a Mocha Mousse–inspired collection of offerings.

                 LALI Jewels

“The PANTONE Color of 2025 pairs beautifully with gold, rose gold, or other complementary metals,” she says. “SHEFI will introduce a limited-edition Mocha Mousse 2025 Collection, available exclusively for retailers, along with ready-to-use assets like catalog, social media templates, and display boards featuring Mocha Mousse. For in-store displays, we’ll provide backdrops, packaging, and branded materials to create a cohesive theme that resonates with the 2025 trend.”

And while Ostbye won’t be following suit with a PANTONE-inspired 2025 jewelry collection, they will borrow Mocha Mousse as a background shade on social media and in marketing assets. “We like that it reflects earth tones,” observes Namie.