Picking Hues for You

As we enter 2012, we are told that the color of the year is Tangerine Tango. We are also told that clothes, jewelry and other accessories will reflect this sophisticated, dramatic and seductive color.
Leading trade and fashion publications have carried this news. While out at a major gem show last week, I noticed a number of dealers carrying large quantities of deep orange citrines, fire opals and garnets.
Don’t get me wrong. I love Tangerine Tango. And, I love citrines, fire opals and spessartite garnet or as it is sometimes called spessartine garnet.
But who decides that 2012 is the year of Tangerine Tango? How do these trends originate? And, why do gem dealers and fashion experts give these announcements so much credence?
Jewelers Circular Keystone, one of the most powerful jewelry trade publications, broke the news in December, 2011 that Tangerine Tango would be featured in clothes, jewelry and accessories in 2012. JCK warned readers that “this means having orangey inventory in store and knowing how to accessorize complementary colors.”
In a separate article on the color, JCK went further, telling its readers that for jewelers, Tangerine Tango means displaying a range of orange offerings —carnelian, citrine, fire opal, and more—but also displaying non-tangerine complementary colors. The article quoted Douglas K. Hucker, CEO of the American Gem Trade Association, as saying: “Think of what you can put in your inventory that will work with tangerine,” he says. “That’s called color blocking.”
For a gem dealer, this is pretty powerful stuff. A leading trade publication apparently endorses Tangerine Tango as the color of the year. And, the CEO of one of the most powerful gem trade organizations in the world gives advice on what to stock.
So what motivated this embrace of Tangerine Tango?
In this case, the culprit is Pantone. In its press release announcing its color choice, Patone describes its color selection in emotional terms and contrasts it with its 2011 selection: “The 2011 color of the year, Honeysuckle, encouraged us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. Tangerine Tango, a spirited reddish orange, continues to provide the energy boost we need to recharge and move forward.”
So why should we take Pantone’s word for it?
Anyone in a color critical industry is aware of Pantone and relies upon the company’s products to help communicate color accurately from designer to manufacturer to retailer to the consumer. As just one example of the need for accurate color communication, a graphic artist must accurately describe the colors in a design to a printer. That artist will rely upon Pantone colors to communicate this information to a printer.
Patone operates in 100 countries and sits astride a variety of industries including digital technology, graphics arts, fashion, home furnishings, plastics, architecture, contract interiors, paint, industrial design and others. This gives it a unique vantage point to study trends in these creative businesses.
And study them, they do. Pantone says “The color of the year selection is a very thoughtful process. To arrive at the selection, Pantone quite literally combs the world looking for color influences. This can include the entertainment industry and films that are in production, traveling art collections, hot new artists, popular travel destinations and other socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from technology, availability of new textures and effects that impact color, and even upcoming sports events that capture worldwide attention.”
In my mind, there is no doubt that the selection process must necessarily be somewhat subjective. But, equally, there is no doubt that Patone’s unique and powerful vantage point enables the company to point to emerging trends and describe them in the language of color.

Fleury Sommers is a goldsmith, pearl and bead stringer and has studied gemology for more than 25 years. She operated a gallery in Houston, Texas for more than ten years and is the creator of the comprehensive Professional Pearl and Bead Stringing series of DVDs available on her website.