 From Chanel’s signature black and white to Hilfiger’s patriotic red-white-and-blue, color is about more than paint swatches and hair dye numbers, it's a way to define yourself. In this summer's hit movie "The Devil Wears Prada," Meryl Streep illustrates the very fact as she schools Anne Hathaway in the trickle-down-effect of Cerulean, from a blue stone on a belt spotting the runways to the blue bargain-bin sweater Hathaway's character wears in the scene.
This month we bring you the back-story on some of our favorite gemstones, because whether you don black head-to-toe or you flaunt more color than a Pucci scarf, one thing is clear: color speaks.
Amethyst
When Ralph Lauren dedicated his Purple Label to the color of royalty, he cleverly used the powerful color to give his line a more luxurious feel. But according to Da Vinci, the purple stone Amethyst also increases intelligence and has calming properties that encourage peace and meditation, so you can pass on the purple wine and relax with a bold amethyst cut Dolce ring.
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Peridot
Sometimes, no taste of warm sunshine or moist chocolate cake can keep a foul mood at bay. Fortunately, Peridot is known to ward off negative emotions and breed charm and power in their stead. Kate Spade has built an empire on the fresh color, giving her designs the ever-seductive charisma she’s so popular for. Make like Cleopatra (the sparkly Green was her favorite stone) and charm them with a pair of Peridot Cindy earrings.
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Carnelian
Redbull may ‘give you wings’, but for a caffeine-free pick-me-up Carnelian is said to boost energy and strength, so it’s no wonder that the bright color is used to pump up everything from the red carpet to Christian Louboutin’s patent leather pumps. Even better, as a side effect the red-orange stone is known to chase away insecurity. Hook on a pair of Carnelian Isabella earrings so you can be your most confident and energetic self.
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Citrine
If you’re running low on funds, you can scratch the umpteenth lottery ticket and hope for the best, or you can wear a pear of stunning Chiara Citrine earrings. Known as the “Merchant’s Stone,” the yellow gem's name was derived from the Latin word citrus, meaning "citron" and is said to bring the wearer financial luck and entrepreneurial success while fending off greed and bad mojo. Well, designers must be shaking the money tree this summer because the color was everywhere from Baby Phat's acid wash yellow (worn by Kimora Lee Simmons on her own runway) to Stella McCartney’s pale yellow (worn by Kate Moss at Elton John’s tea party), even scoring its own feature in InStyle (Aug. 06).
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Smoky Quartz
When you can’t seem to get the same tired idea out of your head, try on a Smoky Quartz Edie necklace. The shimmery gray-brown stone is known as the “stone of endurance,” said to open up the path for perception and creativity so you can nail that marketing project and redecorate your living room. The muted color was even an inspiration on Fall’s neutral runway, from men’s-inspired slouch pants at Donna Karan to oversized sweaters at Marc Jacobs. |
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