My favorite colors change with time but the constant favorites are all shades of green, blue and silver which show in most of my pieces. Brown is my personal least favorite but I use it frequently (and lovingly) for pieces destined to my friends for whom it's their favorite color.

That's really interesting that you find Margie Deeb's books helpful.  I can't make head nor tails of them.  They seem (to me) to be of the sort that if you follow exactly what she does, you'll do OK, but as far as teaching one to go out on their own...nope.

I'm a painter and do wonderfully w color in that area, but of course, beading has all those different finishes.  I just have to try, try, try until I find a combo I like:-)

Well there isnt a color that I dont like and dont probably have somewhere in some form.. LOL   But I just adore color.  Sometimes I like a more monochromatic scheme and others its a free for all.  I'd say the green and blues with splashes of pinks are my favorite though.  

Playing with color is one of the best parts of beading and I usually start with color and then go from there.  As a photographer I find that balancing color and texture comes easier for me as I have been evaluating that for years.  :-)

My most favorite colors are any shade of turquoise - usually mixed with either silver, copper or topaz.  I also love cobalt blue.  I am just starting to use more shades of green - I have never been a green person before, but am finding myself drawn to it more recently.  I also use a lot of black - mixed with all kinds of other colors.   Reds and purples are also favorites.  I usually stay away from pink (light) and yellows  - I am not really a pastel person at all.  I do love to mix colors and put together colors that I never would have thought would go together and be pleasantly surprised when they work!  

Ricki

Red is my own personal favorite color,but when I started out making jewelry I figured I'd need every color. Oh, boy,what craziness that turned into! :) My 1st order was for a pendant with a green bead. Sounds simple enough,right? Well, light green or dark green? Green green or yellow green,etc,etc! I drove myself crazy. Finally I picked out a green that i really loved, used it and the customer loved it too! I've found over time that that is usually the case.

Black and browns are my least favorite colors to work with, and I really love turquoise, although otherwise I'm not a blue person. Whatever the color is, I like intense shades of it.

My next challenge is to find a color theme that is what I'd call ethereal. I think dark blues and purples would do it, or maybe blues and purples. Any advice anyone?

I am new to beading, but have done other crafts for years. I just love finding that special bead or focal piece that just calls out to me, and then figuring out what other colors or shades will work with it. I am just working on a multi-strand necklace that started with a black glass focal with copper foil highlights. Love blues, purples and all shades of pinks..but have been venturing into black/silver/grey combinations as I just designed a set for a friend using those colors.