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Sparking Sphene

#f2a533
Notes

Sparking Sphene (#F2A533) is a true amber with a neon character. It sits at the high-saturation edge of its family. Use it sparingly, as signage, accent, or highlight against darker surfaces. Its HSL profile (36°, 88%, 57%) places it in the highly saturated band at a mid lightness. Best used in small doses, like logos, CTAs, focus rings, or highlight text, where its saturation becomes a feature rather than noise. For a confident two-color system, pair it with its complementary azure. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#f2a533
RGB
rgb(242, 165, 51)
HSL
hsl(36, 88%, 57%)
HWB
hwb(36 20% 5%)
OKLCH
oklch(77.9% 0.151 71.7)
HSV
hsv(36, 79%, 95%)
LAB
lab(73.57% 19.38 66.20)
LCH
lch(73.57% 68.97 73.69)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 32%, 79%, 5%)

Etymology

Sparking
adjective

Old English spearca, spark — present-participle of spark. As a color modifier, sparking implies a saturated-and-electrical-emission quality, the bright color of welding-arc-and-Tesla-coil high-voltage spark-discharge emission. Sits at the bright-and-electric end of the grid, parallel to flashing and coruscating in usage.

Sphene
noun

A calcium-titanium silicate gem — also called titanite — known for its high dispersion (more than diamond) and its yellow-to-greenish-yellow body color. Mined principally in Madagascar, Brazil, and Pakistan. The color refers to a faceted Madagascar sphene: a saturated, slightly cool yellow-green with the gem's signature internal fire.

Closest matches

The nearest named color in three reference sources, ranked by perceptual distance (ΔE76 in CIELAB). ΔE < 1 is imperceptible to most viewers; ΔE > 10 is clearly different. When two sources point to the same hex they’re merged into one tile; click any to open that color’s page.

Variations

Click any swatch to explore

Harmonies

Accessibility

Color-vision simulation

How this color appears to viewers with the four major color-vision-deficiency types. Computed via the Machado (2009) physiologically-based model. If a tile matches the original, the color reads the same to that viewer.

#f2a533
Original
#c0aa1e
Protanopia
#d2bc37
Deuteranopia
#ff928f
Tritanopia
#adadad
Achromatopsia
WCAG contrast

The color used as foreground text against pure white and pure black, with the contrast ratio and WCAG 2.1 grade. Aim for AA (4.5:1) for body text and AA Large (3:1) for 18 pt+ headlines; AAA (7:1) is the gold standard for long-form reading surfaces.

The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
Failon White
2.06:1
The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AAAon Black
10.21:1

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