Picking Colours for Your Memorial Jewellery – What Works (and What Doesn’t)
One of the most personal and touching parts of creating your memorial piece is choosing the colours — a moment to reflect on your loved one and express their memory in a way that feels meaningful to you. But sometimes, colours that seem lovely on their own can create unexpected effects when combined.
Here’s a quick guide to help you choose combinations that complement each other, rather than clash.
When Colours Compete: Common Clashes
Colour wheels are a great tool, but in real-life jewellery, opposites don’t always attract. Here are a few examples of pairings that can create muddy or overpowering results:
Blue base + Pink opals → tends to create a purple-grey tone that can look murky in smaller pieces
Red base + Green opals → unintentionally gives off a Christmas vibe (unless that's what you want!)
Yellow base + Purple opals → can appear overly contrasty and lose the softness of either colour
Blue base + Yellow opals → sometimes comes off more grass green, depending on how much sparkle is used
If you’re ever unsure, I’m more than happy to suggest options based on the feel you want for your piece.
When Colours Complement: Tried-and-True Pairings
Here are a few combinations that work beautifully together and bring out the best in each other:
White base + Any opal → a safe, classic choice that lets shimmer and ashes really shine
Blue base + White opals → soft and celestial
Pink base + Pink or Purple opals → warm and elegant
Teal base + Blue or Teal opals → oceanic and calming
Purple base + Pink or White opals → dreamy and gentle
Black base + Any opal → bold with beautiful contrast
Red base + Yellow opals → rich and warm without overpowering
If you're going for a certain feeling — calm, powerful, soft, vibrant — there's usually a colour pairing that brings it to life.
Still Stuck?
If you’ve already chosen colours but had second thoughts — or if you need any advice at all — just use the chat button on the website and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Nothing is final until I start work, and I’m always here to help make sure your piece feels just right.
Sometimes simple is stunning. Sometimes contrast is perfect. But always, it should feel like yours.