Earth Color Palette - The Colors of The Planet

With blue, turquoise, green, brown and gold, the Earth palette represents our planet in its entirety: from vast oceans to green plant life to the ground beneath our feet.

Shown in the collage, starting from upper left and moving clockwise: Feathered Bib Necklace, Knotted Triangle Necklace With Leaf, Polyhedron Earrings, Fringe Earrings, Rondo a la Byzantine bracelet, Japanese Cross earrings

• 3 color version: turquoise, green, brown
• extras: sage, dark blue, azure, aqua, lime green, teal, olive, forest green, russet, espresso, white

The Earth palette is one of my earliest color palettes, introduced in the Elemental series alongside Water, Flame, Ether (now Industrial) and Sky. I can be a very literal person at times, and when creating the “recipe” for Blue Buddha Boutique's original jump ring mix in this palette, I was stubbornly determined to replicate the Earth’s surface composition as accurately as possible. So, I used the math: 71% of the earth’s surface is water, so 71% of the links in the mix are blue or turquoise. Green and brown represent plant life and the grounding earth, and a dash of gold is meant to be desert and beach sand. 

One of the first photos of the earth mix is shown below. In hindsight, the un-even distribution of colors presented some unexpected challenges. While conceptually accurate, it often led to customers expressing disappointment that their mix didn't as have many gold rings as they expected. "It's mostly blue!" the emails read. Eventually I had to admit defeat as the team and I decided "Okay, maybe less realism, more happy customers!" and adjusted the mix to be more equitable. Live and learn, right? 

The extra colors shown in the graphic primarily add nuance and texture to the main hues. I’ve included white (for snow and clouds) only as an extra: I omit it from the original lineup purely for the sake of aesthetics, as it does tend to stick out and detract from the cohesiveness of the other colors. Depending on the shade of gold in my current dye lot, I may decide to substitute russet (or even the lighter champagne) if gold is too “brassy yellow” or bright. You can see this showcased in the Rondo a la Byzantine bracelet above, which uses a light shade of russet.

I wanted each piece created in this palette to be a reminder of the incredible beauty found in nature as well as the overview effect—the sense of awe and interconnectedness experienced by astronauts while seeing the Earth from space. There are so many breathtaking landscapes across all continents, and nature knows no borders. The Earth palette pieces are a visual anchor for me, encouraging me to engage with the natural world and to deeply appreciate the preciousness of our planet.

Love these colors? Any item in my shop can be customized with th Earth colorway, or you can create your own masterpiece with a custom DIY kit from Blue Buddha Boutique in this palette. Contact me and let's bring your vision to life!

Follow this series on the dedicated Color Palette board on Pinterest.