Rare colors are hues not commonly found in everyday life or are not prevalent in nature, their presence is a testament to the diversity and wonder in every corner of our planet.
Strange and Rare Colors Around the World
- 1. Amaranth – Amaranth Color
- 2. Australien – Australian Desert Color
- 3. Aureolin – Unusual Yellow
- 4. Celadon – Celadon Color
- 5. Burlywood – Burlywood Color
- 6. Coquelicot – Poppy Red
- 7. Glaucous – Glaucous Blue
- 8. Falu – Falu Red
- 9. Feldgrau – Feldgrau Color
- 10. Nattier – Light Blue
- 11. Mountbatten Pink – Dark Pink
- 12. Vermilion – Vermilion Color
- 13. Verditer – Verditer Blue
- 14. Vantablack – The Blackest Black
- 15. Xanadu – Xanadu Color
Colors are like magical strokes that paint the picture of the world. They bring life to the environment, brighten spaces, and enhance beauty.
(Source: facts).
Scientists estimate that the human eye can distinguish up to 10 million colors. This is truly remarkable, although there are countless shades that we find difficult to name, and many colors we may never see in our lifetime.
Today’s article will help you explore some of the rarest and most unusual colors that many people may not know about, some of which even lack vocabulary to describe them in color palettes. Their names are explained for better visualization.
1. Amaranth – Amaranth Color
(Source: facts)
The Amaranth color refers to shades associated with plants of the genus Amaranthus, which have clusters of small reddish-purple flowers, or more simply, the color of amaranth leaves. The term likely originates from the Greek word amarantos—an immortal flower in mythology.
This color is a blend of red and pink, but it can be hard to tell whether it leans more towards one or the other. It is a very feminine color, which is why it is named after a flower.
2. Australien – Australian Desert Color
The Australien color inspired by the desert of Australia. (Source: GettyImages)
The Australien color is so obscure that it lacks a Wikipedia article.
The 1897 book “House Decor” named this color after the rusty hues of rocks and deserts in Australia’s remote areas.
The name Australien was adopted by tailors and fashion designers in late Victorian England to create a shade resembling a deep orange.
3. Aureolin – Unusual Yellow
Aureolin is a yellow hue commonly used in painting. According to Michael Harding, a paint company, it is described as a “bright straw yellow, a light brownish-yellow with a unique yellow shade and rich green undertones.”
This color emerged in the 1850s to replace the color Gamboge, which was previously thought to cause illness.
4. Celadon – Celadon Color
(Source: facts)
Celadon is a pale greenish-blue (often varying from light grey-green to yellowish-green). It is named after the predominant color found in the glaze of ceramics originating from China.
5. Burlywood – Burlywood Color
(Source: facts)
On the RGB chart, Burlywood is a fairly neutral shade and one of the rare colors with an unusual origin. It is a brown color named after the Buteafrontosa tree, a species native to India with sandy brown wood.
The light shade of this color closely resembles khaki (a color blending light brown and yellow).
6. Coquelicot – Poppy Red
The term “coquelicot” (poppy) originates from French and describes the bright orange-red hue of a wild poppy plant.
Kenzo has used the poppy as a symbol for one of its famous perfumes—Flowers Kenzo.
7. Glaucous – Glaucous Blue
On the RGB color chart, Glaucous appears as a blue color. It is commonly found in the bleak and dreary landscapes of winter.
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, “glaucuous” also refers to a frost-like coating that gives a chilling appearance.
8. Falu – Falu Red
(Source: facts)
Falu color is one of the rare colors with an interesting history, originating from a type of copper in Falun, Dalarna, Sweden.
Falu Red has been in use since the 16th century and continues to be used today. It is a dark red commonly used as an exterior paint on wooden houses in rural Sweden.
This color is said to preserve wood well and can mimic the color of more expensive brick houses.
9. Feldgrau – Feldgrau Color
(Source: facts)
Feldgrau, which means “field gray” in German, describes a grayish-blue color that was ideal for the uniforms worn by the German army during World War I.
Currently, many countries’ militaries also use this Feldgrau color for soldiers’ uniforms.
10. Nattier – Light Blue
A portrait of Countess Tillière wearing a Nattier color cloak by painter Jean-Marc Nattier. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
The color Nattier was invented by Jean-Marc Nattier (1685-1766), a French painter known for his portraits of women during the reign of Louis XV, depicted as figures from Greek mythology.
The blue hue he used in several of his paintings, notably in the portrait of the Countess de Tillières (1750), nicknamed “The Lady in Blue,” eventually became known as the Nattier color.
11. Mountbatten Pink – Dark Pink
Mountbatten Pink can be seen as a shade of pink, but it also has purple and gray tones.
According to the book “Great People of the World,” this color was used by Admiral Lord Mountbatten of the British Royal Navy to paint ships during World War II.
Mountbatten believed that this purple-pink hue with gray undertones would help his naval ships become camouflaged at dusk and dawn.
12. Vermilion – Vermilion Color
(Source: facts)
Vermilion is a bright red color with a very slight orange tint. It is also known as Chinese red due to its similarity to some types of bright red pigments used historically.
According to My Modern Met, this vibrant orange-red hue is believed to have appeared in China around the 4th century BC. It was later imported to Europe and widely used in Renaissance paintings.
This special color is also known as cinnabar red because historically, cinnabar minerals were ground to create this pigment.
13. Verditer – Verditer Blue
Verditer Blue Flycatcher. (Source: dibird)
Verditer is an ancient name for verdigris, the green rust-like discoloration of copper and brass, as well as a name for a blue pigment that has been in use since the 1500s.
Its name, derived from the French term verte-de-terre, meaning “green of the earth,” is now used to refer to a species of bright turquoise songbird, the verditer flycatcher, which originates from the Himalayan range.
14. Vantablack – The Darkest Black
(Source: Wired)
Vantablack is one of the darkest substances known to humanity. Developed by the UK-based company Surrey NanoSystems in the early 2000s, it can absorb 99.965% of visible light.
Vantablack held the Guinness World Record for the darkest artificial material until 2015 when it was surpassed by a material known as “dark chameleon dimers,” which is even darker.
Vantablack can be used to prevent light from entering telescopes and infrared cameras, as well as having the ability to absorb solar energy. It may also have military applications, such as high-level camouflage.
15. Xanadu – Grayish Green
(Source: Facts)
This is a relatively rare color, notably a grayish green hue. Many people find it somewhat similar to khaki, although it is not exactly khaki.
Xanadu is a color derived from the Philodendron plant, which is abundant in Australia.
