My color planning and choices for Dunitz & Company's fair trade jewelry for the upcoming Spring season have been long put to bed. Shades of deep orange have been super popular for Spring clothing for several years now. And 2019 projections seem no different. Many of the designers whose names we easily recognize decked their models in vibrant variations of coral for this Spring's runway. It's no wonder that after several years, Pantone has named "Living Coral" their Color of the Year.
I have mixed feelings about this. What I've learned is our customers don't always follow trends when it comes to purchasing their jewelry. Because "Coral" was so big in clothing the last few years, Dunitz & Company chose to offer jewelry in similar shades. Check out Bev in our photo to the right. This pic is from a couple of years ago and she is, yes, outfitted in "Living Coral". She's a stunner. The jewelry is stunning. Truth be told, this color way has never been a particularly good seller for us. Why do I offer it? There's always a small group of women that adore (and purchase jewelry in) coral. Also, our customers NEED choices. Offer them coral. They'll buy the aqua blue. (Yes, "shades of blue" always win over Rose Quartz, Serenity, Greenery, Ultra-Violet, and I'm sure Living Coral.)So, what's a jewelry designer, whose collection is based on color to do? Dunitz & Company's Spring 2019 colors were chosen and created long before Pantone made their recent announcement. And somehow, I'm right on track. A great track, I think. Each year we offer 12 different color ways in our seed bead and our Joanie M fused glass collections. You better believe that a majority of our offerings include various hues of jade and sapphire. Did I say blue sells? But if you were reading, you also read that other colors sell albeit in smaller quantities. Offering many choices always our customers to reaffirm their favorites.
Guess what? Dunitz & Company is offering variants of Living Coral for Spring 2019. In our popular fused glass line we'll have some stunning pieces in what I have lovingly referred to as a dark melon shade. Perhaps I should now call it ‘Living Coral’ so I sound as if I'm in the know. For production, I call it "Color #128". What do you think? Even without Pantone's announcement, Dunitz & Company is right on the pulse.
For our beaded jewelry, I was particularly influenced by the recent Emilio Pucci runway. Several of Pucci's fabrics combined wonderful shades of dark melon (aka Living Coral) with various shade of pink and in some cases, splashes of turquoise. That inspiration resulted in, yes production "Color #363". I chose a strong bead that more resembles the inside of a cantaloupe and coupled it with pale nectar and the never-ending popular millennial pink. Sure hope our customers love it as much as I do.
As I was getting ready to complete this post, I received an email sharing Dayna Isom Johnson's (Etsy's trend maven) most recent blog entry. She has anointed Etsy's Color of the Year as "Burnt Orange". Where I see her choice a bit dark for Spring clothing and jewelry, it sure follows suit. Similar color. Same family. Stay turned to the Dunitz Etsy Shop and you're sure to find some Living Coral, Burnt Orange, Cantaloupe, Melon colored options.So there you have it. My two cents about Living Coral and Pantone's 2019 choice. Keep your eye on Dunitz & Company's fair trade jewelry. If you're a retailer, our Spring 2019 collections will be up on our wholesale site soon. Looking to buy for you? You can easily do that too. We're here to help. Did you know our websites also have a store locator? Perhaps there is a retailer near you where you can see, touch and feel our jewelry before purchasing.
Tell me what you think about my thoughts on Living Coral. I'd love to hear from you. - ND
