Color in Jewelry Design

Many jewelry designers are comfortable working with metals and even incorporating a single color in their designs, but I often hear of those who are confused by the use of multiple gemstone colors in the same piece.

Detail of Royal Peacock Necklace
by Heart's Desire Jewelry

The rules of color theory - complimentary colors, triads, etc. - can be too analytical and cause some designers to hit a critical creative road block. I love color and the impact that it can have on a piece of jewelry.

I would like to offer some simpler, no-rules methods of choosing colors that work together.

Look to the experts for inspiration. Painters, architects, interior designers, TV and movie set designers and costume designers - they all have trained in the classroom and know how to combine colors with flair.

Fall Flowers Bracelet by Heart's Desire Jewelry

Take a trip to an art museum or browse the internet for paintings that you like.

Study them to see which colors the artist is using and what emotion the work of art conveys.

Have a seat in the lobby of a comfortable hotel and think about how the colors in the room are making you feel. Do you feel relaxed in that room or energized?

Next time you're watching a movie, try to pay attention to the combination of colors in a scene - the walls in a room, the furniture, the clothing. Is that movie an action film or a romance?

By making these observations you can not only take inspiration from those color mixes, but you can also convey those emotions in your next jewelry design.

Once you become sensitive to the color combinations that professionals use in every day life, you will start to see great color combinations everywhere you look.

Whiskey and Berries Necklace by Heart's Desire Jewelry

I especially love finding great color combinations in nature, because the light on a rainy day in your favorite flower garden can make the colors look completely different than the colors on a sunny day. Nature's inspiration is endless.

I carry a small notebook with me to write down these color combinations, but instead of listing the colors as say "light blue-green" for the sky and "dark green" for the grass, I translate those colors to the name of a gemstone such as aqua chalcedony and jade.

Whenever I need some inspiration for colors to use in my beaded design, I pull out my notebook and select a color combination that fits my mood.

Next time you're suffering a creative block, give these foolproof tips for inspiration a try.

I assure you, your muse will drop by for an extended stay.

Author Ann Marie Hodrick, an award winning designer, started Heart's Desire Jewelry with her friend Marie Johnson in 2004. They sell their colorful, one of a kind jewelry designs at craft fairs, local boutiques and on their website. Be sure to visit their Hearts Desire Jewelry blog.

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