Gemstones in brown

With the year 2025 almost coming to an end, I thought of revisiting Mocha Mousse, Pantone’s colour of the year 2025 and perusing various gemstones in brown. Let us begin by taking a cue from Pantone and extend the mocha mousse palette to include other browns. My suggestion is to add a bit of yellow and black to the brown so as to bring materials like tiger’s eye into the fold.

Gemstones in brown

Without much ado, here is a list of some lesser known gemstones in brown. I found this image by Ying Thai which led me to research the visualised gemstones for this post.

• Andalusite – Known for its pleochroic property, this stone shifts between brown, green, and reddish tones.
• Apatite (brown) – While blue and green apatite are more common, the brown stone with specks of green, is often recommended to promote bone health and calcium absorption in the body
• Baltic Amber (Dark Cognac) – This is an Organic material with a translucent, golden-brown appearance.
• Bronzite – A metallic brown stone with a soft shimmer, perfect for earthy designs.

• Brown Tourmaline (Dravite) – Has a deep, glossy brown hue that add sophistication much like smoky quartz.
• Carnelian (Brownish Variants) – Though most people prefer the red-orange carnelian stones, those in warm brown-oranges can be used to add a touch of vibrancy to neutral tone pieces.
• Enstatite – Found both in terrestrial as well as extra-terrestrial (meteorite) rocks, this is a highly durable deep brown (or greenish brown) stone.
• Mahogany Obsidian – This is a deep reddish-brown volcanic glass with a smooth, finish. The beads that are matt finished ones are cheaper than the glossy ones.
• Pietersite – A multicolored stone featuring brown with gold and blue streaks, offering unique textures.
• Sandstone – Sandstone, like Mahogany Obsidian is darker than mocha mousse but the golden particles in it make it shimmer and hence looks more sparkly.
• Tiger’s Eye – Featuring golden-brown tones with a silky luster and captivating chatoyancy (optical phenomenon – like a cat’s shining eye).

These gemstones while lesser known, align with the Mocha mousse aesthetic. Their rarity results in unique designs offering flexibility in design and budget considerations. These are some of the gemstones in brown that I know of. If you know more, please share information about them in the comments and I will add them to my post.

I hope you find it interesting

Cheers