In a recent entry titled Milan in Colour, style blogger The Sartorialist, posted an image of a beautiful woman sporting citrus-hued, layered tops and an armful of acid-bright bangles. ‘Orange and yellow!’ beamed one of many enthusiasts who commented on the post. ‘I forgot about how great that looks together!’

It is a combination that requires a certain confidence, but one guaranteed to grab attention. Not for nothing did John Galliano deploy it on the vibrant, flower-inspired backdrop at Christian Dior’s A/W 2010 couture show, or a host of similarly on-the-ball jewellers work it into their new collections.
 

Last year the legendary house of Fabergé launched Les Fabuleuses, its first high jewellery collection in almost 90 years. In honour of founder Peter Carl Fabergé’s interest in fauvism – a strain of art theory which posits that colour acts as an emotional trigger – gems of differing cuts (including orange and yellow diamonds, maramalade-coloured padparadscha sapphires and pinky-orange alexandrites) have all been used. According to creative director, Katharina Flohr, the colour yellow ‘signifies wisdom and communication’. Orange meanwhile promotes ideas and stimulates mental energy.
 

Thinking along similar lines, Spanish jeweller Monica Vinader selects stones for the properties they possess. Lemon quartz, for example, ‘encourages positive thinking and protection from depression’.
 

Anthropologist/jeweller, Pippa Small – who has worked for Gucci, Chloé and Nicole Farhi – believes, ‘The most powerful way to wear a gem is unaltered by man, left to shine with its natural fire.’ Using rough gemstones including tourmaline, rhodochrosite and cornelian she ‘creates stories of colour, that lay easily along the body.’

‘Coloured gemstones add dramatic contrast, giving a contemporary and luxurious feel to jewellery,’ says award-winning Katie Rowland, whose Mademoiselle Libertine collection is sprinkled with fancy sapphire briolettes in red, orange and yellow. Rowland also favours citrine for the way it, ‘glows against black pearls, adding glamour, but with a darker, more seductive edge’.
 

Versatile citrine features in JJ Number 8’s latest collection, too. Of her 18 carat yellow gold Pear Hoop Earrings, JJ (whose fans include Kristen Bell, Courteney Cox and Marcia Cross) says: ‘I love the happiness of this sunshine yellow gemstone and the playful but elegant look of the earrings.’
 

From high end to high street, the orange/yellow palette has captured imaginations across the board. Luxury brand Boucheron has extended its ‘Tentation Macaron’ line to include a collection of Mini Macarons, including a mouthwatering yellow gold and orange sapphire version.
 

Meanwhile, online jewellery retailer, Preshhus, has gone all out with a trove of vintage-inspired pieces that boast faceted, apricot-coloured stones, amber-hued crystals, lemon drop pendants and coral-inspired cabochons. The Preshhus site recommends their trinkets for those seeking a touch of ‘red carpet glamour’. They’re also the perfect accompaniment to a sunny summer day.

By Maia Adams of The Bibelotphile.

Catwalk images courtesy of style.com

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