Pearl Ivory Quarry
Pearl Ivory Quarry: a soft neutral neutral with an accent palette of #A9A1A4, #C4B8BC, #D2C6C9, #E4DFE0, #E4F4E9. Pure, minimal and calm; best contrast 2.21:1.
A warm palette of 5 colors drawing on gray, white, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 2.21:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Martini#A9A1A4
A light, neutral gray (Martini) that brings calm restraint. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Ghost#C4B8BC
A light, neutral gray (Ghost) that brings calm restraint. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Brume#D2C6C9
A light, neutral gray (Brume) that brings neutral balance. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Airy#E4DFE0
A very light, neutral gray (Airy) that brings calm restraint. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Salt#E4F4E9
A very light, neutral gray (Salt) that brings calm restraint. Dark text reads well on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white2.52:1Poor 1/5
- On black18.41:1Excellent 5/5
- Color blind friendly99% similarExcellent 5/5
Contrast is the best any color in the palette reaches on a plain white or black background. Color blind friendly shows how much of the difference between the colors is kept under the common kinds of color blindness.
| Color | Role | HEX | Lightness |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Taupe | Text | #A9A1A4 | 72% |
| ≈ Silver | Primary | #C4B8BC | 79% |
| ≈ Silver | Surface | #D2C6C9 | 84% |
| ≈ Fog | Accent | #E4DFE0 | 91% |
| ≈ Ivory | Background | #E4F4E9 | 95% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #1F191B for text.
:root {
--color-background: #e4f4e9;
--color-surface: #d2c6c9;
--color-primary: #c4b8bc;
--color-accent: #e4dfe0;
--color-text: #1f191b;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #e4f4e9;
--color-surface: #d2c6c9;
--color-primary: #c4b8bc;
--color-accent: #e4dfe0;
--color-ink: #1f191b;
}
About this palette
Pearl Ivory Quarry is palette number 726 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a soft neutral palette built on a neutral with an accent scheme, and it is anchored by Ivory (#E4F4E9), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as pure, minimal and calm. Its colors run from Ivory (#E4F4E9) at the light end to Taupe (#A9A1A4) at the dark end, covering 72% to 95% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Taupe #A9A1A4: suggested role text. It is a near-neutral color with 72% lightness and a chroma of 0.01, so it behaves like a neutral.
2. ≈ Silver #C4B8BC: suggested role primary. It is a near-neutral color with 79% lightness and a chroma of 0.015, so it behaves like a neutral.
3. ≈ Silver #D2C6C9: suggested role surface. It is a near-neutral color with 84% lightness and a chroma of 0.014, so it behaves like a neutral.
4. ≈ Fog #E4DFE0: suggested role accent. It is a near-neutral color with 91% lightness and a chroma of 0.006, so it behaves like a neutral.
5. ≈ Ivory #E4F4E9: suggested role background. It is a near-neutral color with 95% lightness and a chroma of 0.022, so it behaves like a neutral.
Harmony and structure
Four low-chroma colors form a calm foundation and one saturated color from the far side of the wheel acts as the accent.
In this palette the hues fall in no strong hue family, because every color is close to neutral. Soft neutral palettes keep chroma between 0.01 and 0.05, and lightness between 72% and 96%, which is why the set feels consistent.
Temperature and mood
Overall the palette is temperature-neutral: 0 of its 0 chromatic colors lean warm and 0 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.013 makes the saturation soft.
That combination suits minimal websites, fashion lookbooks and stationery, and it is a good fit when you want a design to feel pure, minimal and calm.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Taupe (#A9A1A4) with Ivory (#E4F4E9) at a contrast ratio of 2.21:1, which is below the WCAG AA minimum of 4.5:1. Across all 10 possible pairs, 0 reach the 4.5:1 AA level for normal text and 0 more reach 3:1 for large text.
No other palette color reaches 4.5:1 on the background (#E4F4E9), so this page suggests #1F191B for text, a darkened Taupe that reaches 15.18:1. Check any pair you use in the contrast checker.
Under protanopia (reduced red sensitivity), #C4B8BC and #D2C6C9 may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning. Under deuteranopia (reduced green sensitivity), #C4B8BC and #D2C6C9 and #E4DFE0 and #E4F4E9 may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning. Under tritanopia (reduced blue sensitivity), #C4B8BC and #D2C6C9 may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning.
How to use it
Suggested roles: #E4F4E9 as the background, #D2C6C9 for cards and surfaces, #C4B8BC as the primary brand color, #E4DFE0 as the accent, and #1F191B for text (a computed darker shade of Taupe, because no palette color is readable on that background). A reliable starting split is 60% background and surface, 30% primary and 10% accent.
Spend the neutrals on backgrounds, text and surfaces, and save the accent for the one thing you want people to notice: a button, a link or a highlight.
Typical uses for a soft neutral palette include minimal websites, fashion lookbooks, stationery and note-taking and documentation apps. Open it in the generator to lock the colors you love and reroll the rest, or in the visualizer to see it on real layouts.
More palettes like this
Frequently asked questions
Is Pearl Ivory Quarry accessible?
Its best pair reaches 2.21:1 (#A9A1A4 on #E4F4E9). 0 of 10 pairs reach WCAG AA for normal text. Always check the exact text and background you use.
Which color should be the main brand color?
Silver (#C4B8BC) is the most saturated color that is neither the lightest nor the darkest, which makes it the natural primary.
What is this palette good for?
It suits minimal websites, fashion lookbooks, stationery and note-taking and documentation apps, where a pure, minimal and calm feel works well.