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….as well as quotable quotes from our colorful leader and color expert, Leatrice (Lee) Eiseman. Lee has written seven books on color. She is the Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, the Director of the Eiseman Center for Color Information and Training and a color/design consultant to many industries. Fortune Magazine has named her as one of the 10 top decision makers for her work in color and she is widely quoted in the media. Enjoy!!
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L e e' s B o o k s
Color Messages & Meanings:
A Pantone Color Resource
 
The Color Answer Book
Colors For Your Every Mood
Pantone Guide
To Communicating With Color
More Alive With Color
Alive With Color
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March 23, 2009
Skin Inc.
Excerpt from Approachable Beauty
by Abby Penning
How can color image consulting be enhanced during this gloomy enconomy?
Dawning in the midst of a gloomy economy, spring, the traditional season of renewal, may not seem as refreshing this year. However, the incoming cosmetics colors - richly undertoned neutrals that blend with bold shades of blue, red, pink, green and yellow - may be just the thing to break through the gray gloom.
Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and founder of www.morealivewithcolor.com, agrees, noting that the array of exciting hues now available in shadows, lipsticks, blushes and even mascaras can help keep things interesting for those providing cosmetics services. “Makeup has got to offer alternatives,” she says.
“It’s about what looks good and works for different skin tones, and makeup is more experimental and doesn't cost as much, so you can play with more options,” Eiseman explains. “We can’t ignore that elephant in the room—the economy—but when you are going through bad times, people don’t aspire any less to looking good.”
Super Fushia Salmon Lavender Vibrant
Lemon Red Rose Green
Palace Blue Lucite Green Slate Gray Rose Dust Dark Citron
This information was compiled from Pantone, Inc.'s Spring 2009 Fashion Color Report. Pantone, Inc. is a global company that standardizes the language of color. The Pantone Color Institute studies physiological aspect of color and forecasts color needs. Leatrice Eiseman is the executive director for Color Institute and founder of morealivewithcolor.com The color names above were assigned by Pantone, Inc.
All eyes on you
Eiseman expects to see gilded eyelids for the spring, with just a light gold or silver dusting for the daytime and a little heavier hand playing a part for nights. “We started in the fall with gilding everything, and that’s going to continue into spring, with maybe just a little softer version,” she says. “Match with that yellow, which is such a big color in fashion right now, because gold and yellow are natural companions. The color of the year for 2009 is mimosa yellow, which is a softer, kind of chamois type of yellow. Then there is also super lemon, which is incredibly vibrant and offers another variation on the yellow theme. One is more subtle, while the other is more of a bold, summery shade.”
Eiseman continues, “Lavender is continuing the purple trend that was big in the fall, but it transitions to spring with a softer, more summery hue. It’s lightened, and almost has a mystical aspect. And there’s also palace blue, which is like a royal blue, but not quite. It’s very vibrant and not dark like a navy, so it ends up very classic and with a great bit of sparkle.”
The blending trend is also something Eiseman has caught on to. “The neutral colors in fashion are being used as a background to bounce the other, bolder colors off of,” she explains. “One of the colors, a rose dust, is really a beige with rose undertones, so it’s not just taupe-y gray, but has a really interesting note underneath. There’s also a slate gray, which has very decidedly blue undertones. With cosmetics, you can really build around that undertone, bringing the colors across the face, beautifully coordinating a look and keeping it from being boring.”
Make it work
If you think creating a cohesive look with this season’s bold colors seems to present a bit of a challenge, there are a few tricks you can use to help any makeup look magnificent. One is balancing the face using opposite colors on different features. “There’s more of a use of complementary colors together—those colors across the wheel from each other,” says Eiseman. “Experiment with opposite colors, blues and purples with the yellows and oranges. For example, if you have purplish lipstick, you can do gold gilding on the lashes, or if your eyes have lavender touches, you can have more of a warm-based color on the lips.”
The key is, even if things are tough and makeup’s colors seem mismatched to the mood of the country and client, these brilliant hues are actually what you can look to for inspiration. “If the colors are dismal, they can lead to being more depressed, so maybe it’s the time to wear something with color to make yourself feel better,” Eiseman suggests. “You can’t ignore what’s going on, but you find ways to keep your spirits up, and colorful cosmetics can definitely help with that.”
A springtime frolic
Whether that means indulging in a wine-hued mascara, gold-flecked lip gloss or beautiful new bronzer, tight times and the rebirth that comes with spring can be a boon to makeup offerings. “Get out of the ordinary,” Eiseman urges. “That’s the beauty of cosmetics. You can try new colors in accents and touches, and it helps create a bridge to using more of that exciting color. And the spring is really the best season to try something new.”
In other fashion news, Joy Sewing of the Houston Chronicle Online writes about spring colors, and quotes Leatrice Eiseman as saying, "In fashion, color often reflects what's going on in the world around us. Bright colors can help conjure feelings of happiness, while more subdued tones evoke a sense of calm." Sewing goes on to discuss how black and white have also taken a backseat to color this season.
Women's Wear Daily
The Tone for Tough TImes
by Cecily Hall
Top 10 Pantone Colors for fall
Designer palettes for fall seem to acknowledge the major issue of the day - the recession. "The most popular colors for fall really represent a thoughtful palette. That's a direct outcome of what's happening in the world around us, said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, which surveyed designers showing at New York Fashion Week to determine the most directional colors. She said the selection of somber, neutral colors still has rays of light that will keep things interesting. :Designers are aiming to comfort people - but at the same time, they have to still grab consumers' attention," she said. Some, such as Kimora Lee Simmons for Baby Phat, worked in patriotic colors. "In times like these, consumers have a tendency to return to patriotic colors," Eiseman said.
PANTONE 18-1306 IRON
Iron is the new black. Eiseman of Pantone said this shade of gray has a brown cast, "which makes it a warmer, stronger gray. And it's not as foreboding as black." Its practicality and dependability make this shade a staple for most apparel items in one's wardrobe, she said. Consumers can combine it with more dramatic colors in the palette, such as number-two-ranked Purple Heart, Honey Yellow (#5) or Rapture Rose (#6). "By using this color, designers are acknowledging the practical, but mixing it with other colors in the palette will offer some uniqueness," Eiseman said. Designers who incorporated this color into their fall collections include Carmen Marc Valvo, Reem Acra and Charlotte Ronson.
PANTONE 18-3520 PURPLE HEART
Elie Tahari and Shaun Kearney for Cynthia Steffe weaved this deep version of purple into their collections. "Purple is the most creative and complex color," Eiseman said. "It has been so strong the last two seasons, and because people have been holding onto what they have, they're more comfortable with purple now." This particular shade, she noted, is a fresh version, "but it's still comforting to people." Mixing the color with other palette favorites, such as eighth-ranked Warm Olive or Nomad, ranked ninth, "is a way to take basic color and give it a more creative punch." Eiseman added that many designers may be seizing the opportunity to incorporate the color into their accessories pieces, such as jewelry and scarves.
PANTONE 19-4125 MAJOLICA BLUE
Lela Rose, Brian Reyes and Maria Pinto - whose inspiration for fall was "a sense of smoky calmness" - played with this variation on blue. "The blues, along with the grays, are considered the most dependable, steadfast constant in people's wardrobes, Eiseman said. She added, "It's not dull, because it has some interesting undercurrents and more complexity. It could be described as a deep teal blue. " Playing colors such as Honey Yellow and Warm Olive against Majolica Blue "make this color the kind of thing that all kinds of different consumers can reach for in their wardrobes."
PANTONE 19-1759 AMERICAN BEAUTY
"Here's the feeling of patriotism at its finest in this palette," Eiseman said. "This is a true red, meaning that it has some cool undertones and some warmth. It's a beautifully balanced color, so it's easy for anyone to use." Designers Yigal Azrouel and Alice Temperley for Temperley London worked this shade of red into their collections. Eiseman said American Beauty is an ideal color for retailers because it has broad appeal and it looks good on so many people. She also admitted that her first thought when she saw the color was to wonder how Michelle Obama and her daughters, Sasha and Malia, would wear it. " I would think that designers are really going to try hard to interject this color into her wardrobe," she said.
PANTONE 16-1143 HONEY YELLOW
"Honey Yellow is this fall's example of how important yellow has become to people," Eiseman said. Because of the deeper tone, "It's more subdued, which makes it the perfect color for autumn." Christian Cota, who described his inspiration fro the season as "imagining taking a trip to the center of the earth and back, exposing layers of minerals jagged edges of rocks," played with Honey Yellow, as did James Coviello. Said Eiseman: "Combining Burnt Sienna(#7) with this color is a classic, but one that's more unique would be mixing it together with Rapture Rose."
PANTONE 17-1929 RAPTURE ROSE
A bright spot in the palette, Rapture Rose is a surprise for the season. "This color isn't typical at all, but I think that designers are turning to it for a need to see a feminine and playful, but still very warm, color," Eiseman said. She added that Rapture Rose could combine easily with most other colors in the top 10, especially Iron, Burnt Sienna and Warm Olive. "Another idea would be to mix it with American Beauty - reds and pinks together are unexpected, a real attention-getter." Tadashi Shoji said of Rapture Rose , one of the most important colors of his collection: "The color's freshness and vividness offer a bright future and clarity in an economic climate that desperately needs a stimulus plan."
PANTONE 17-1544 BURNT SIENNA
Christian Siriano incorporated Burnt Sienna into his fall palette, saying his inspiration was Egypt: "Through the richness of the sand and through the stone of the architecture - each color is warm, bold and has the feeling of luxury." Alvin Valley and Rebecca Taylor worked with the color for fall, too. Burnt Sienna is a fall's answer to orange, but Eiseman pointed out the red and brown undertones which makes it a much more versatile orange than others. "It's very dependable, it speaks of autumn and it's a classic with a color like number-one-ranked Iron," she said. And mixing it together with colors such a Honey Yellow or Warm Olive would add more dimension to any item. "You could also take this and give it a twist with a color like Purple Heart."
PANTONE 15-0646 WARM OLIVE
"People can recognize the complexity going on with Warm Olive," Eiseman said. This variation of green is a spin on the typical greens one thinks of, she noted. "It's not your usual citrus spring green. Because it has a lot of yellow, it's more exotic than a spring color." She said the green family returned to the spotlight in the Nineties and has steadily climbed. "It's been really strong lately, because working with greens is not a trend - this idea of 'green'- everyone gets it...Designers are concerned about being eco-conscious." Along with designers such as Pamella Protzel Scott for Ella Moss and Adam Lippes, Thuy Diep for Thuy also worked with this color, noting that her inspiration was "a sense of renewal and optimism."
PANTONE 16-1212 NOMAD
David Rodriguez and Catherine Malandrino included Nomad in their palettes for fall, as did Tracy Reese, Reese also noted that her most important color was arrange of different beiges, "which serve as a foundation for pairing with rich and saturated brights." Eiseman said, "Both Nomad and Creme Brulee [#10} are an acknowledgment of the fact that we need to have good, practical colors anchor the others colors. They can provide the background for a brighter color. "We'll see this color quite a bit in outerwear, but if a woman buys a coat in Nomad, she can complement i with a sweater in Rapture Rose underneath."
PANTONE 13-1006 CREME BRULEE
"This is a great neural color that goes with everything else - put it next to any of the colors in the top 10, and it works with any on them," Eiseman said. She noted that Creme Brulee is really a warmer, softer variation of the color white for the season. "Something we're seeing on the red carpet is a return to lighter gowns ---off-white, white--- I think it's an ongoing influence," she said. Nanette Lepore, Wichy Hassan for Miss Sixty and Kimora Lee Simmons for Baby Phat all worked with Creme Burlee for fall.
Elizabeth Wellington of the Philadelphia Inquirer Online writes about Slumdog Millionaire's finale, and notes, "I thought it was extremely interesting that in the final scene of the movie of the year, Latika, played by Freida Pinto is wearing the Pantone Color of the Year, mimosa yellow." Wellington also quotes Leatrice Eiseman as saying, "It's everywhere. This shade is about warmth and sunlight, hope and optimism. It's about looking forward to a bright future."
March 16, 2009
A tidbit about pink's color meaning
Excerpt
from Lee's book COLORS FOR YOUR EVERY MOOD
Physiological Responses to Pink
In word association studies, light pinks are described as soft, tender, romantic and cute. These tints also conjure up sweet tastes and sweet scents. Dusty pinks are perceived as soft, soothing, cozy, romantic, rosy, subtle, yet sophisticated; while bright pinks are seen as exciting, happy, hot, trendy, attention-getting, energetic, youthful, fun and spirited.
Pink and Personality
If You Love Pink: Tempering passion with purity, pink is softened red. A pink person is less showy than a red person, but that does not mean there is less substance there. Pink's personality is variable. in its softer tints, it is demure and romantic-still related to red, but not as ardent. People who prefer pink are the soft, tender friends. Romantic and refined, they are upset by violence of any kind. If you love pink, you are talented but not over ambitious.
If You Dislike Pink:
If you dislike pink, the naivete, innocence and sweetness strike you as cloying, even a bit "wimpish." You long for the passion that was removed from red.
NEWS.com.au
TRAVEL NEWS
By staff writers
Pink dolphin draws in tourists to Lake Calcasieu in Louisiana
NO, you’re not seeing the world through rose-coloured glasses: This albino dolphin is pink.
The unique bottlenose - first spotted in Lake Calcasieu, an inland saltwater estuary in Louisiana, by boat captain Erik Rue, 42, in 2007 - has surfaced again.
And comments from heavy-hitters including the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society suggest it’s real.
Tourists are flocking to the lake in hopes of seeing the rare mammal.
Mr. Rue said “Pinky” “looks like it just came out of a paint booth”.
"I just happened to see a little pod of dolphins, and I noticed one that was a little lighter,” he told London’s Telegraph newspaper.
"It was absolutely stunningly pink.
"I had never seen anything like it. It's the same color throughout the whole body.”
“Pinky” is believed to be the only pink dolphin in the world, and has “reddish” eyes. It is usually spotted with its dark grey mother.
There are only 14 other known albino dolphins in the world, all of them white.
"The dolphin appears to be healthy and normal other than its colouration, which is quite beautiful and stunningly pink,” said Mr. Rue, who estimates he has spotted Pinky more than 40 times.
"The mammal is entirely pink from tip to tail and has reddish eyes indicating its albinism. The skin appears smooth, glossy pink and without flaws.
"As time has passed the young mammal has grown and sometimes ventures away from its mother to feed and play but always remains in the vicinity of the pod.
"Surprisingly, it does not appear to be drastically affected by the environment or sunlight as might be expected considering its condition, although it tends to remain below the surface a little more than the others in the pod."
Albinism is a genetic condition caused by a lack of melanin. It is seen in many species, including humans.
The international attention focused on the dolphin has led to warning from conservationists.
Senior biologist with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society Regina Asmutis-Silvia said people should not get too close to the dolphin.
"It is a truly beautiful dolphin but people should be careful, as with any dolphins, to respect it - observe from a distance, limit their time watching, don't chase or harass it,” she said.
There have only been two other documented sightings of albino bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, both of all-white mammals and both in 1994.
Pink Dolphins?-Truth!
truthorfiction.com
The Truth:
The pictures and the story are true. As indicated in the eRumor, the original pictures were taken on June 17, 2007 by Captain Erik Rue of Calcasieu Charter Service, a company that does hunting and fishing charter trips in Louisiana.
The pictures were taken on Lake Calcesieu, an estuary north of the Gulf of Mexico in Southwestern Louisiana.
There is a species of what is called "pink dolphin" that lives in South America in the Amazon river. This sighting in Louisiana, however, is considered rare because it appears to be a bottlenose dolphin but pink ones are virtually never seen.
Marine Biologist Dagmar Ferti told ESPN that it was an albino calf and that bottlenose calves don't have much blubber so the the blood circulating under the skin is more visible, especially if the calf had been working hard to swim. He said this sighting was only the third that he knows of in the Gulf of Mexico. There have been 13 total sightings dating back to 1962.
There is also a species of Humpback dolphin called the Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphin found mostly in Southeast Asia. Some of them have pink-colored skin because of blood vessels used for keeping the body temperature cool during exertion. One of them became a celebrity in Thailand and also a focus of controversy. The dolphin got caught in fishing nets during the summer of 2007 and ended up in a resort on the island of Samui in Southern Thailand. When reports surfaced that the dolphin was being trained to entertain tourists an outcry rose among animal rights activists. The government says the dolphin is scheduled to be rehabilitated and released back into the the gulf of Thailand by early 2008.
March 9, 2009
A note about my upcoming
Annual Color/Design Training Program held this summer
on verdant green beautiful Bainbridge Island in Washington State.
July
• Do you want to spread your creative wings, discover new markets and expand your horizons?
• Would you like to give your business opportunity to grow in the coming years?
• Are you going to gain in recognition?
• Are you interested in developing more color expertise for your own consulting business or
advancement within your company?
If you have a background in color and a passion for color, you could have potential in the color consulting field.
send an email to leiseman@nwlink.com to request a Color/Design information packet
Lucrative and creative color opportunities do exist in many industries. You could be the one to guide companies through the myriad of color choices. They often need professional advice on how to use color effectively. But you need more than a love of color to get you there. You need to know the way. You need credible, verifiable information based primarily on the emotional aspect of color taught by the leading expert in this field.
In my 25 years of color consulting to many leading industries I have constantly broadened my areas of expertise. What has taken years of painstaking research, energy, time and effort is now condensed into a four day "how to" program that will enable you to enhance your career development as well as your income potential for you or your employer.
If you are employed in a company where increased color knowledge would be to its benefit, this is a program to consider. Some companies have found this program to be so valuable that they have covered the tuition cost in addition, with the current economy many companies opt to outsource color work to independent consultants.
If you own your own company or see yourself owning your own consulting company, how diversified is it or will it be? If your services include color it would be a logical expansion to consult for many other applications in industry and it would help you broaden your client base as well as increase your earning potential.
send an email to leiseman@nwlink.com to request a Color/Design information packet
Read some of what my former students have to say about the program…
I so enjoyed your classes. You are an excellent teacher and I appreciated the pace ad the dedication on your part to impart as much of your wisdom as you could within the timeframe. I also appreciated the kind of knowledge you graciously imparted.
Ann King
Thank you so much for an amazing seminar. I went home Sunday night feeling inspired and excited about the future. The information that you provided answered all of the questions that were hindering me from moving forward.
Melissa Moss
I had a wonderful experience there with you this past week, and am feeling very empowered, much as I expect I would have felt had I jumped though the last burning hoop of Ph.D.
Constance De Witt
send an email to leiseman@nwlink.com to request a Color/Design information packet
Colorfully yours,
Leatrice Eiseman
March 2, 2009
Colby Unique Gems
Contemporary Designs in Dynamic Color
By Barbara Colby
GEMSTONES
Some gemstones (like pearls, coral, and amber are classified as organic), meaning that they are produced by living organisms. Others are inorganic, meaning that they are generally composed of and arise from minerals. Stones that are identified as “synthetic” are created in a laboratory (as opposed to natural gemstones, which are created by natural processes without human help). Below is a glossary of some of the gemstones featured in Colby Unique Gems line.
 AMBER
Amber is an ancient organic gemstone, and is composed of tree resin that has hardened over time. According to the GIA, the stone must be at least 1 million years old to be classified as amber; some amber can be up to 120 million years old. Amber can come in a number of different colors, ranging from yellow to a golden orange to red. Most of the world’s amber comes from the shores of the Baltic Sea in Eastern Europe.
 AMETHYST
Amethyst has historically been the most prized gemstone in the quartz family. It is treasured for its purple hue, which can range in tone from light to dark. The finest amethyst will have strong color saturation and a medium to dark reddish purple or purple color. Its attractive color, along with its affordable price compared to other precious gemstones, make amethyst consistently one of the most popular gems.
 BLACK ONYX
Black Onyx, a member of the Chalcedony family, is a gemstone made up of tiny microscopic crystals. It is a very popular gemstone in both women’s and men’s jewelry because its black color acts as a great complement to white metals like sterling silver, as well as clear crystals and CZ’s. Most black onyx on the market today is treated to give it its dark black color. Black Onyx is sometimes fashioned into faceted beads.
 CHALCEDONY
Chalcedony is a type of quartz. It is classified separately because, unlike other forms of quartz, it is composed of very small microscopic crystals. It can come in a variety of looks and colors. Several types of semi-precious stones discussed separately - including Black Onyx, and Jasper - are varieties of Chalcedony.
 CITRINE
Citrine is known for its stylish yellow to brownish color, and is generally considered the top selling gemstone of this color in the United States. It is a member of the quartz family, and has a crystalline structure.
 CORAL
Coral is an organic gem that comes from skeletal remains of sea creatures (which are themselves called Coral). The most common colors associated with coral jewelry are pink and red. Coral requires pristine environmental conditions to grow, meaning that producers must maintain calm waters free of pollution. According to GIA, coral is believed to have been used in jewelry for about 30,000 years.
 EMERALD
Emeralds are one of the three main precious gemstones (along with rubies and sapphires) and are known for their fine green to bluish green color. They have been treasured throughout history, and some historians report that the Egyptians mined emerald as early as 3500 BC. Today, emeralds are increasingly being used in faceted rough-cut designs that provide a bold look at an affordable price.
 GARNET
Garnet is most commonly a deep red to purplish red gemstone with a cubic crystal structure. Garnet is considered an affordable alternative to more expensive red gemstones like rubies or tourmaline, and goes particularly well with sterling silver.
 JADE
Jade is most commonly associated with the color green, but can come in a number of colors as well. Jade is closely linked to the Asian culture, history, and tradition, and is sometimes referred to as the “stone of heaven.”
 JASPER
Jasper is a semi-translucent to opaque gemstone, of the chalcedony family, that comes in a variety of colors. Oftentimes, jasper will feature unique and interesting patterns within colored stone. Picture jasper is a type of jasper known for colors (often beiges and browns and swirls in the stone’s pattern).
 LAPIS
Lapis is an opaque gemstone often featuring a deep midnight blue to violetblue color. It frequently contains gold colored pyrite flecks sprinkled through the gem, making each piece of lapis beautiful and unique. Lapis is a versatile gemstone that is used both in classic and contemporary jewelry styles.
 OPAL
Opal is a gemstone that comes in a kaleidoscope array of colors. It is typically formed in desert areas over long periods of time from layers of silica deposits deep underground rock. It is known for its “fascinating play of color” that occurs when light interacts with the opal’s silica layers. Much of the opal on the market today is synthetic.
 PERIDOT
Peridot is a bright green gemstone that provides the style and look of an emerald at a more affordable price. According to the GIA, some historians believe that Cleopatra’s famous emerald collection was virtually Peridot. Peridot is one of the softer gemstones on the market, with a hardness of 6.5-7 on the Mohs scale. Peridot most commonly originates in volcanic areas that are rich in iron and magnesium.
 QUARTZ
Quartz refers to a family of crystalline gemstones of various colors and sizes. Among the well-known types of quartz are rose quartz (which has a delicate pink color), and smoky quartz (which comes in a variety of shades of translucent brown). A number of other gemstones like Amethyst and Citrine are also part of the quartz family. Rutilated quartz is a popular type of quartz containing needle-like inclusions.
 RUBY
Rubies are known for their intense red color, and are among the most highly valued precious gemstones. Rubies have been treasured for millennia. In Sanskrit, the word for ruby is “ratnaraj,” meaning “king of precious stones.” Although rubies can command one of the highest price per-carat prices of all precious stones, they are increasingly being used in “rough-cut” faceted designs at much more affordable prices.
 SAPPHIRE
The most popular form of sapphire is blue sapphire, which is known for its medium to deep blue color and strong saturation. Fancy colored sapphires in various colors are also available. In the United States, blue sapphire is the most popular and most affordable of the three major precious gemstones (emerald, ruby, and sapphire). Like emeralds and rubies, sapphire is increasingly being used in rough-cut faceted designs that provide a strong, bold look at an affordable price.
 TIGER'S EYE
Tiger’s Eye is a gemstone known for its unique and rich striped brown color, which, as its name suggests, can resemble the patterns on a tiger’s coat. It is a member of the quartz group of gemstones. It has a microcrystalline structure, meaning it is made up of crystals that are smaller than those of quartzes like rose quartz and smoky quartz, but larger than the crystals of chalcedony group of gemstones.
 TOPAZ
Topaz is a bright clear gemstone which is often used to create bold, eye-catching designs. The most popular variety of topaz in the market today is blue topaz, which is a bright light blue color and is relatively inexpensive. This color is produced with irradiation and heat treatment (in nature, topaz is most often colorless). Pink topaz is another popular variety of the gemstone.
 TURQUOISE
Turquoise is found in only a few places on earth, and the world’s largest turquoise producing region is in the southwest United States. Turquoise is prized for its attractive color most often intense medium blue or greenish blue and its ancient heritage. Turquoise is used in a great variety of jewelry styles. It is perhaps most closely associated with southwest Native American jewelry, but it is also used in many sleek, modern jewelry styles. Some turquoise contains a matrix of dark brown markings, which provides an interesting contrast to the gemstone’s bright blue color.
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