Live Ultra Vibrant with Ultra Violet

Tanzanite, Pretoria’s October streets and Pantone’s colour of the year 2018

Aaah, Tanzanite. Named “The Gem of the Century”, this brilliant blue, purple and violet gemstone radiates a positive energy. It assists in manifesting your own self rather than being influenced by others or trying to conform to the norm.

Ultra Violet, PANTONE®’s colour of the year for 2018 is described as a dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade. Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points us toward the future.

Enigmatic purples have also long been symbolic of counterculture, unconventionality, and artistic brilliance. Musical icons Prince, David Bowie, and Jimi Hendrix brought shades of Ultra Violet to the forefront of western pop culture as personal expressions of individuality. Nuanced and full of emotion, the depth of Ultra Violet symbolises experimentation and non-conformity, spurring individuals to imagine their unique mark on the world, and push boundaries through creative outlets.

Laurie Pressman, vice-president of the Pantone Colour Institute, said: “The Pantone colour of the year has come to mean so much more than ‘what’s trending’ in the world of design; it’s truly a reflection of what’s needed in our world today.”

Only “discovered” by the western world in 1967, Tanzanite is a member of the zoisite mineral family. This superstar of luxury jewellery had to wait millions of years before it was ready for its close up! The ancient eruptions of Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro created a unique set of conditions that led to the formation of tanzanite deep below the surface of the Tanzanian savannah. It sat patiently for over 585 million years until fate and electricity introduced it to the world. According to Maasai legend, a powerful lightning strike set the African plains on fire, heating the stones below the surface and uncovering the beautiful secret. Maasai tribesmen snatched up the shimmering violet-blue gemstones and celebrated.

Tanzanite is a creative stone with the power to dissolve old patterns and creates space for new patterns to be integrated.  This shifting of Tanzanite’s colour has been said to facilitate raising consciousness. It aids in realising ideas and transforms destructive urges into constructive ones. Those who wear it will become aware of their calling. It is a stone for highly developed beings who wants to recognise their inner strength and inner balance. This creates trust and gradually opensthe wearer further possibilities.

Historically, there has been a mystical or spiritual quality attached to Ultra Violet. The colour is often associated with mindfulness practices, which offer a higher ground to those seeking refuge from today’s over-stimulated world. The use of purple-toned lighting in meditation spaces and other gathering places energizes the communities that gather there and inspire connection.

Lastly, every year in October in the city where Déonne le Roux Jewellers was established more than 38 years ago, the streets and suburbs erupt in a spectacular display of Ultra Violet when the more than 30,000 Jacaranda trees in Pretoria bloom.

Linking the individualistic spirit of Ultra Violet, the creative, emotional intelligenceof tanzaniteand Pretoria’s annual colour explosion is Déonne le Roux Jewellers’ designer collection of diamond accented tanzanite jewellery – perfect gifts for anyone who wants to celebrate their ingenuity and originality. See our March promotion here.

It seems the future is Ultra Violet bright and beautiful…