Jewel tones

보석 톤

Deep, saturated colors named after gems — emerald, sapphire, ruby — high in saturation but kept low in lightness. They look richest against a dark surface.

Also known as: Jewel colors보석색
···
html
<div class="wrap">
  <div class="sws" id="sws"></div>
  <div class="card" id="card">
    <b id="gname">EMERALD</b>
    <span id="ghex">#1c8c5e</span>
  </div>
</div>
css
.wrap{width:min(440px,92%);display:grid;gap:clamp(12px,3.2vmin,20px);justify-items:center}
.sws{display:flex;gap:clamp(6px,1.8vmin,10px)}
.sws i{display:block;width:clamp(20px,6vmin,30px);height:clamp(20px,6vmin,30px);border-radius:7px;border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.15);transition:transform .3s,outline-color .3s;outline:2px solid transparent;outline-offset:2px}
.card{padding:clamp(10px,2.8vmin,16px) clamp(18px,4.6vmin,26px);border-radius:14px;background:#14141c;display:grid;gap:4px;justify-items:center;transition:box-shadow .4s}
.card b{font:800 clamp(13px,3.4vmin,16px)/1 system-ui;letter-spacing:.06em;color:#f4f4f6}
.card span{font:700 clamp(9px,2.4vmin,11px)/1 ui-monospace,monospace;color:#9a9aa6}
js
function hslToHex(h, s, l) {
  s /= 100; l /= 100;
  var k = function (n) { return (n + h / 30) % 12; };
  var a = s * Math.min(l, 1 - l);
  var f = function (n) { return l - a * Math.max(-1, Math.min(k(n) - 3, Math.min(9 - k(n), 1))); };
  var hex = function (x) { return Math.round(x * 255).toString(16).padStart(2, '0'); };
  return '#' + hex(f(0)) + hex(f(8)) + hex(f(4));
}
var GEMS = [{ name: 'EMERALD', h: 150 }, { name: 'SAPPHIRE', h: 215 }, { name: 'RUBY', h: 350 }, { name: 'AMETHYST', h: 275 }, { name: 'TOPAZ', h: 40 }];
var S = 75, L = 35, active = 0;
var sws = document.getElementById('sws');
sws.innerHTML = GEMS.map(function (_, i) { return '<i id="c' + i + '"></i>'; }).join('');
var cells = GEMS.map(function (_, i) { return document.getElementById('c' + i); });
var hexes = GEMS.map(function (g) { return hslToHex(g.h, S, L); });
var gname = document.getElementById('gname'), ghex = document.getElementById('ghex'), card = document.getElementById('card');
function render() {
  cells.forEach(function (el, i) {
    el.style.background = hexes[i];
    el.style.outlineColor = i === active ? hexes[i] : 'transparent';
    el.style.transform = i === active ? 'scale(1.15)' : 'scale(1)';
  });
  gname.textContent = GEMS[active].name;
  ghex.textContent = hexes[active];
  card.style.boxShadow = '0 0 0 1px ' + hexes[active] + '55, 0 16px 34px ' + hexes[active] + '3a';
}
render();
setInterval(function () { active = (active + 1) % GEMS.length; render(); }, 2000);

Jewel tones sit at 65–85% saturation with lightness held low, around 28–42%. The low lightness reads as heavy and luxurious, while the high saturation keeps it from turning muddy — dark without being dull is the whole trick.

Names like emerald (H≈150), sapphire (H≈215), ruby (H≈350), amethyst (H≈275), and topaz (H≈40) are really just this same saturation and lightness formula applied to different base hues.

Paired with a dark neutral — navy, charcoal — jewel tones read as genuinely lustrous; on a white background the same colors just look like plain dark colors and lose most of the effect. Luxury, beauty, and premium branding reach for this palette constantly.

When to use

It only reads as jewel-like paired with a dark neutral background — on white, the effect mostly disappears.