When I think of Emerald I think of calm and tranquil waters. Sounds odd, I realize, but that’s the truth. I also think of jewel tones – likely because the name itself evokes the thought of a jewel. Why am I waxing on about a color?

Pantone has announced its pick for Color of the year-

“PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald, a lively, radiant, lush green, is the Color of the Year for 2013.”

“Green is the most abundant hue in nature – the human eye sees more green than any other color in the spectrum,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “As it has throughout history, multifaceted Emerald continues to sparkle and fascinate. Symbolically, Emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today’s complex world. This powerful and universally appealing tone translates easily to both fashion and home interiors.”

I expect to see Emerald popping up in a lot of knitting in 2013 as it is such an amazingly versatile color. Used as a main color or simply an accent, Emerald really does shine.

Need advice on color pairing? Check out some of the colors being used on the Fashion runways this Spring: