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Consider the meanings of colors for designs
"In our life there is a single color, as on an artist's palette, which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the color of love." -- Marc Chagall Often, the meanings of colors are given little thought as people give gifts of flowers or of jewelry. As you plan designs for the upcoming Valentine's holiday, examine the role colors play in designs, and the meanings colors have for the giver and the wearer. Learning these meanings and passing the information on to your customers can give your designs an extra dimension.Most of the time, color meanings are associated with the language of flowers; however, associating colors with special meanings can apply to many things -- including hearts or beads. From ancient times, the Egyptians, Chinese, and Indians recognized colors and their meanings to the point that they believed in chromotherapy, or healing with colors. Printing up little cards with a "legend" of what the colors of your designs mean could help customers choose which items they would like to give. Providing little cards with the color's meaning could help a gift giver express their feelings in a special way.Red, the Valentine's mainstay, communicates love and beauty, and has been shown to stimulate the body's metabolism.
To cool off from the burn of red, consider white. White means purity and innocence, silence and secrecy, or reverence and humility. It brings to mind the serenity of a snowy landscape, or the soft sheen of a wedding dress.
Pearly white hearts and glass pearls or white fiber optic beads are a great start for a study in white. Add sparkling crystal clear bicones for extra shine and include accents in silver for a pure, polished effect. A design or a bouquet of red and white together signifies unity. And of course, red, white, and blue combined speak of a unity among the millions of people roaming throughout the 50 United States. Rounding out the top three of the usual Valentine's Day colors is pink. Pink symbolizes appreciation, thanks, grace, happiness, and admiration. A design in pink would be the perfect gift for a secret admirer to send. Soft, blush-colored pearls are an elegant addition to any design.Looking elsewhere in the rainbow, bright yellow beads bring a cheery touch to a design. Happy thoughts of someone are a perfect match for this color's meaning. Yellow roses have long been thought of as a symbol of friendship, but the color's symbolism also includes joy, gladness, delight, and the promise of a new beginning. The beauty of lemon-yellow beads really stands out when combined with silver.
Cooling off a bit, consider green, which symbolizes peace, renewal, healing, and nature. From the dark green of a forest grove to the bright green of new leaves, this color combines well with gold or silver accents. This color of peace does have a bit of controversy in its past -- early Christians banned green because it had been used in pagan ceremonies. Going from the land to the ocean, consider blue, another natural color. Blue communicates dignity, tranquility, and trustworthiness. It is as calming as walking by the ocean or gazing at the sky at twilight. Since indigo, a more intense blue, has some of the shading of violet, it shares some of the traits of violet.Since ancient times, violet has been associated with majesty, respect and power. Purple brings to mind a king's velvet robes, a spring iris, or the sky at sunset. The lighter lavender symbolizes enchantment and reverence. Don't forget that the colors of your accent beads also have meaning. Silver symbolizes encouragement, while gold symbolizes attraction. For more designs with colorful hearts and flowers, check out December's design column.
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