A vintage vibe refashioned with a contemporary ambience, Peach Fuzz is the Pantone Color of the Year 2024. Pantone describes Peach Fuzz as a “velvety gentle peach tone whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and soul.” A visual language that expresses our emotions, color is a powerful communication tool and the Pantone Color of the Year is meant to reflect what is taking place in our global culture. “In seeking a hue that echoes our innate yearning for closeness and connection, we chose a color radiant with warmth and modern elegance. A shade that resonates with compassion, offers a tactile embrace, and effortlessly bridges the youthful with the timeless,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute™.
An airy, softly bright neutral, Peach Fuzz plays well with other colors, which is good news for jewelry. During a webinar introducing the color, it was frequently shown with gray tones, which were brightened by the hue. For jewelry, that translates to platinum making an unexpected and very chic statement when paired with Peach Fuzz. The warmth of the color is balanced by the cool tones of platinum. Gray pearls and gray moonstones are another choice to create that color combo that has a contemporary edge softened by the warmth of Peach Fuzz.
A Global Effort
Selecting the Color of the Year is a global effort. The Pantone color experts search the world over for new color influences, which includes the entertainment industry and movies in production, traveling art collections and new artists, fashion, design, travel, lifestyles and socio-economic conditions. With the world in turmoil and stress levels running high, Peach Fuzz is meant to provide a calming, soothing feeling that highlights our desire for togetherness with others, or on the flip side, enjoying moments of stillness and the feeling of sanctuary this creates.
Tap into this stillness by wearing Peach Fuzz with the tawny tones of rutilated quartz or smoky quartz that complement the warmth of the color and add to the feeling of calm. That feeling of calm can be enhanced by teaming Peach Fuzz with deep blues which really make it pop. Try wearing the cool tones of blue sapphire jewelry, or the purple-blue hue of tanzanite that enhance the warmth of Peach Fuzz.
Citrus Shades
You can also go the opposite way and pair it with the vivid orange of a spessartite garnet, often called a mandarin garnet. While Peach Fuzz is a soft peachy pastel, it is at the same time, a rather robust shade and its slightly brownish undertones will complement the brash hue of the garnet. Yellow sapphires or diamonds are also a nice match for Peach Fuzz, the sunny yellow perks up its mellow hues.
To create a more monochromatic look, the peachy tones of peach moonstone, coral and morganite are gemstones that come close to Peach Fuzz. All are soft colored gemstones that are a warm pinkish-peach color. Peach or pink pearls are another option, if you want to wear the color without committing to a piece of clothing in that tone.
Contrasting colors such as purple or green are also harmonious with Peach Fuzz. The vibrant tones of amethyst, emerald or green tourmaline are a brilliant juxtaposition to the tactile tones of Peach Fuzz.
When you find yourself enveloped in the cozy warmth of Peach Fuzz, you may want to enhance the vintage vibe of the color by teaming it with jewelry from a bygone era with gemstones that enhance the color’s message.
Featured image (top of page): Pantone Color of the Year 2024, Peach Fuzz, courtesy Pantone.
Authored by Amber Michelle