Swatch

What is a Swatch?

A swatch is a small silicone sample disc or chip showing a specific color, shimmer level, or color combination in cured silicone, used as a physical reference before ordering.

Why Do Colors Look Different in Person?

Anyone who has ever compared a paint chip to the actual painted wall knows that colors look different on screens, on paper, and in real life. Silicone is no different. A pigment color can look dramatically different depending on the silicone base, the firmness level, the shimmer content, and the lighting conditions in a photograph. That is where swatches come in. A swatch is a small physical sample of cured silicone that shows you exactly what a color looks like in person.

Most swatches are small discs roughly the size of a coin, though some makers produce larger samples or small test shapes. They are poured from the same silicone and pigment batches used for full-sized toys, so what you see on the swatch is what you will get on your finished piece. Holding a swatch in your hand and seeing it under your own lighting conditions eliminates the guesswork that comes with judging color from a phone screen.

How Do Makers Use Swatches?

Many indie makers sell swatch sets alongside their products. These sets include small samples of every signature color in their lineup, allowing buyers to compare options side by side before committing to a custom pour order. Some makers include a free swatch with each order, while others sell them individually or as complete sets at a modest price.

Swatches also serve a practical purpose for the makers themselves. When a customer orders a signature color, the maker can pull their reference swatch to confirm the pigment ratios before mixing a new batch. This ensures consistency across orders, even if months have passed since the last time that particular color was poured. The swatch becomes the physical standard that keeps a maker's color library accurate and reliable.

How Do Collectors Share Swatch Info?

Collectors often share swatch photos online to help others make informed color choices. Photographing swatches under different lighting conditions, such as daylight, warm indoor light, and flash, gives a much more complete picture of how a color actually looks than a single promotional photo ever could. Community swatch comparison threads are a valuable resource for anyone agonizing over which signature color to choose.

Swatches also make great reference tools for planning maker's choice orders. Sending a maker photos of swatches you love from their lineup, or even swatches from other makers, helps communicate your color preferences visually rather than trying to describe colors in words. When you tell a maker "something like this swatch but with more shimmer," they know exactly what you mean.