Pastel Palettes

Judging by the latest high-jewelry launches, we’ve all gone a bit soft. Whereas not so long ago, a jewel was judged on its ability to pack a punch, chromatically speaking — the energizing neon-blue zing of a Paraiba tourmaline, the mystic deep green of a Colombian emerald — pastels are suddenly the shades in vogue.

This summer, Chanel experimented with clusters of yellow sapphires, pink spinels, mandarin garnets and mint-green tourmalines in its Blé Maria tiara and brooch, part of its Le Paris Russe de Chanel collection. Suzanne Syz, meanwhile, went one step further, setting pastel gems in titanium that had been transformed to match the shades of delicately colored aquamarines, green beryls, morganites and purplish-pink tourmalines.

Sapphires and tourmalines of any pastel shade work well for this trend, as do light-colored rubies, bluish moonstones, and even white opals with the right sort of color play.

Diamonds make an excellent accent for this gentle palette in the form of glittering pavé, but they can also be the stars, as in De Beers’ Portraits of Nature collection. So when it comes to color selection this season, “softly does it” is the motto to follow.

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