Bead Color Ideas: Slate and Olive

Blue and green have really been taking over my creative space lately, so for this week’s bead color experiment, I thought it would be fun to make a great blue-green pairing and then test out some of my favorite accents with it. You can never really go wrong with a blue and green palette, though some combinations are more exciting than others. For this set of color trios, I went with opaque slate blue and opaque olive seed beads. They’re like an earthier version of lime and turquoise, and pair together really well.

Of course my first instinct was to go with more primary colors to finish the palettes, but they would have to be equally earthy or subdued. My first choice was chunky pale yellow mother of pearl chips, which I’m still trying to find a great project for. I really like these beads, so of course that means that I’m reluctant to use them for just anything. This Olive Crème palette is nice, but I think that the yellow does more for the blue and green than the seed beads do for the chips. The palette would work well in a fringed project, with the blue scaled way back and green/yellow taking center stage.

Red horn rounds were up next, and although I have used these beads a bit, I like them too much to see the last of them go until the perfect palette comes along. The slightly translucent finish and deep color are a perfect match for the seed beads, not to mention a lot more versatile than the chunky shell chips. I think Juniper Berry would be perfect for just about any project, but I’d love to use it in a collar or a patterned rope necklace.

Finally, I just had to see if my elusive strand of polka dot Java beads would work with slate blue and olive. I’ve been holding on to these beads for years now, and I’m way past the hoarding stage. I really, really want to use them but the right project just won’t make itself known. I do like this Summer Buds palette, but I’m still not seeing it in a stitch. The polka dot beads are going back into the stash. Again.

What’s your favorite way to pair blue and green?

Mortira

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