Tuesday, February 7, 2012

The Power of Orange


Have you heard? Tango Tangerine is officially one of "THE" colors for Spring 2012. It's true, I read a few fashion articles about it and saw some designers' frocks that feature this color. I'm not sure a whole outfit of true ORANGE is a good color for all complexions and hair colors. The full dresses and tunics I saw seemed like a little too much of a good thing. BUT, a little POP of orange? It could be just perfect, depending on your mood....and your outfit.

A few years ago, I found these incredible orange quartz squares and finally, combined with some amazing variegated strands of carnelian and citrine (new acquisitions), they have become a new earring design. And since I added gold filled wire to my studio last year, I decided that for this experiment in orange, the metal used with it had to be warm, as in gold or copper.

And then, still smitten with this palette, I tried this sort of "sunset" mix of faceted roundels as a topping for golden quartz teardrops, too.

Next try, the combination of this simple orange square and a copper circle....bright geometry, anyone?
And on a more subdued note, a collection of tiny 2mm carnelian beads wire wrapped with fine gold-filled wire to gold-filled hoops that are about 1" in diameter. I've been exploring hoops, mostly handmade by me and used in a myriad of different designs. Natural carnelian is usually heat treated to bring more intensity to the red tones in these naturally orangey stones, and these beads are a good example of this. Tiny treasures, for sure, but the gold wire gleaming through the translucence does add a nice glow to these orange gems.

And to think a few years ago, I didn't think I even liked orange....now? I think it's beautiful....in small doses!

Thanks for dropping by!

6 comments:

Lin said...

Take it from me, it is a tough color to pull off in quantity. Our school colors are brown/black and orange. Ugh. So I try to wear a lot of the black or brown with a smidge of orange. It's awful to wear those bright orange band shirts to everything! Yikes.

Missed ya, Karen. I'm so glad you are back. How's the kitties?

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous new work Karen! I did see that tangerine was "the color" and I agree with you: not sure how it will translate as it's not everyone's color. BUT, earrings will work great. And I love the pairing with copper and gold too.

Anonymous said...

All of those are gorgeous! I like orange but haven't worn it or decorated with it in years...I wouldn't put it on my walls tho. And yes, it is not an easy color to wear, I don't think I could manage it now the way I could when I was young.

Rose Clearfield said...

Gorgeous oranges! I don't wear a lot of orange but I love little details of it for accessories and home decor. It's such an underrated color.

Additionsstyle said...

Beautiful oranges! I am planning on wearing lots of orange this spring.
Valerie
Everyday Inspired

Anonymous said...

Yay! Now I have something to do with all those orange vintage beads !!!!

LinkWithin

Blog Widget by LinkWithin