Usher in Spring Skies With These 16 Soft-Blue Jewels

Aquamarine is such an appropriate birthstone for March, as our thirst for spring ushers in a resurgence of our desire for softer colors. Gone are the oxbloods, the olives, the dark grays, and blacks. The present time of year draws us closer to pastels—chalk it up to Easter: Even if you don’t celebrate, you can hardly avoid the flurry of decorations and fashions that line the shelves at your department stores and one-stop shops. Pale pinks, yellows, greens, and that soft shade of blue. We don’t necessarily lose our appetite for darker colors, it’s just that we’ve been hooked on them for so long (the past two seasons), it feels great to lighten up. The color blue is an old favorite but never old hat. It’s with us throughout the entire year: icy brilliance in winter, cozy navy in the fall, positively electric in the summer. In the spring, it evokes the sky, finally breaking free from its gray, overcast prison, welcoming the sun and maybe a few clouds—but that’s okay because it’s warmer and bright and beautiful. It even represents the color of rain, which is fine by me so long as it doesn’t freeze. So with that, I think there is no better color to welcome the long-awaited spring than our trusty blue, in its soft, pastel incarnation. I imagine a showcase brimming with jewels like these, scattered with springy florals—real or fake, as long as they look the part—beckoning customers to take a peek (and take something home). Here are some standouts for that display. I think you’ll find them great for any time of year, but especially for now.

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