Pantone Color of the Year 2020: Classic Blue

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Pantone, the leading expert on color trends, recently released Classic Blue as their 2020 Color of the Year. In selecting the color of the year, Pantone draws inspiration from various avenues including entertainment, art, fashion, travel, etc. and it typically relates to the social, economic, & political culture of the moment. According to Pantone, Classic Blue is reminiscent of the sky at dusk. It is simple, centering, and enduring. Classic Blue is meant to provide a sense of calm & stability in our sometimes tumultuous lives. It is not aggressive or off-putting and easily relatable. It's interesting to note that Pantone's first Color of the Year in 2000 was Cerulean Blue, so in a way they are returning to their roots and rounding out the first 20 years of this century in a full-circle kind of way.

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Another interesting tidbit is that the internet is pretty divided on Classic Blue. While some people love the pick, many people feel like Pantone phoned it in with a bit of a "meh" choice, especially when compared to the striking hues of the past few years like Living Coral and Ultraviolet. To be honest - I can see their point. While I love Classic Blue as a color, when you think of it as the Color of the Year meant to usher in a whole new decade, it's a little, well...basic. Then I started to think in terms of "blue is the new black". Personally, I love using blues, especially a dusky blue, as a neutral. Think of it like blue jeans - it goes with basically everything!! This got me much more excited about the year of Classic Blue. While it may not be a show-stopping, attention-grabbing color of it's own, it's classic enough to be mixed and matched with basically every other color. I love the idea of incorporating Classic Blue into essentially any color palette and staying on trend all year long! 

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Regardless of how the people on the internet feel, Classic Blue is the primary color that will dominate the next 12 months of our lives. You'll see it everywhere including home decor, fashion, product packaging, advertising, etc....so why not mix it into our jewelry too? With a few Classic Blue touches thrown in to your designs, you'll be stylin' all year long! Here are our favorite "Classic Blues" found at Bead World (not all items are available online, inquire for shipping options if not available online): 

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Kyanite

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Labradorite, especially Dark Labradorite with a Deep Blue Flash

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K2 (Shown here with Kyanite and Sapphire Swarovski)

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Miyuki Capri Blue/Silver Lined Seed Beads

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Delica Crystal/Sparkling Cerulean Blue Lined Seed Beads

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Sapphire Swarovski

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Griffin Silk Cord in Blue and Dark Blue

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Macrame Cord in Blue

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These are just a few of the beautiful blues we have at Bead World, but there are so many more to choose from!! Hopefully this got your wheels turning and you're feeling inspired to add some Classic Blue twists into your jewelry designs! 

Happy Beading!!