Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Is Green Your Color?


Green is cool and collected, calm and soothing, refreshing and mysterious.

It is rustling leaves on a warm summer afternoon.

Lush vegetation on a tropical island.

Green is a deep forest, a still meadow, a tantalizing lagoon.

Green has been called "the most 'organic' of colors," a hue that artists once made from corroded metals but now squeeze from a paint tube or mix on a palette from primary blue and primary yellow.{1} It evokes both mystery and refreshment and is associated with the serenity of nature and the youthfulness of spring.

What We Know About Green
  • In Daoist lore green was associated with the mountains and symbolized the purity of nature and the potential for eternal life.{2}
  • Green, though classified as a cool color, is well-balanced, drawing from the warmth of yellow and the coolness of blue.{3}
  • Green eases the sense of sight, providing a time out for tired eyes.{4}
  • During the Middle Ages green was considered beautiful because it was "temperate, balanced, proper...."{5}
  • In the West green is the color of health and vitality, as well as the color of conservationists and ecologically minded groups and individuals.
  • Modern Islamic believers equate the color green with material and spiritual wealth.{6}
  • Green is a color of Hope, Joy, Love, and Peace.{7}
Shades of Green

Sage Green, Bottle Green, Jungle Green

Forest, Olive, Lime, Pistachio

Green Jade, Green Apple, Green Grass

Verdigris, Zangar, Tea Leaf, Cucumber

Green's Personality Traits

  • Cool
  • Collected
  • Soothing
  • Peacemaker
  • Contemplative
  • Blanaced
  • Temperate
  • Lighthearted

If you found yourself lulled by the images evoked by the color green, or if you recognize yourself in green's personality, then you might enjoy wearing a green gemstone in your engagement ring.

Which Green Stone Should I Choose?

Well, you can't go wrong with an emerald. Emeralds are the green variety of beryl. With a Mohs hardness of 7.5-8, they are an excellent choice for daily wear. Emeralds range in hue from bright grass green, to moss green, to spring green. They can have either a bluish or a yellowish undertone. Flawless emeralds are difficult to find, so when looking at clarity we recommend consulting a gemstone expert to ensure that the emerald you choose will look good to the eye with little or no enhancement.

If you prefer a stone other than the emerald, then may we suggest a peridot, tsavorite, demantoid garnet, or green sapphire? Each of these stones will weather daily wear well. 

If you think green might be your color, then we invite you to visit our showroom for a chance to put your color to the test. We would love to show you our selection of green emerald, green sapphire, and peridot engagement rings.

Click here to schedule a visit today.


Notes
  1. Finlay, Victoria, Color: A Natural History of the Palette, New York: Random House, 2004, p. 265.
  2. Ibid., p. 257.
  3. House Beautiful: Colors for Your Home, New York: Hearst Books, 2008.
  4. Pastoureau, Michael, Green: The History of a Color, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013.
  5. Pastoureau, p. 57.
  6. Gallienne, Amandine Guisez, Colorful World, London: Thames and Hudson, 2005.
  7. Pastoureau.

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