Muted, Weathered, and Ancient palettes are all toned down in comparison to the "Modern" palette.

Muted seems to be...well...muted. Softer hues, toned-down shades of what would normally be bolder colours. This is a fairly recent offering from many weavers.

Ancient is a colour palette that attempts to mimmick older dyes and processes but are actually a modern invention dating to (correct me if ai'm wrong) the 1960s or so.

Reproduction is a tradename for a specific product line offered by a specific weaver (D. C. Dalgliesh). It is pretty much an ancient palette by description but it seems to incorporate elements of other weavers' 'muted' palette standards, too. All-in-all, it's basically Dalgliesh's 'ancient' line. All weavers have differences between them and colour is certainly one noticeable from the outset. Dalgliesh has been weaving this palette for a few of years but it's still a recent addition in comparison to the firm's age.

Weathered palettes are supposed to mimick the natural bleaching of dye as of the material sat out in the sun and the elements over a period time. Do they really? I don't know and wouldn't be interested in wasting hard-earned cash to try it out to be honest. The colours are, in a way, muted however they are almost always replaced by different, earthier colours. For example, green often becomes brown, blue becomes grey, red becomes rust and so-on. Many lovely tartans can be had in this palette. This is quite a recent option from a number of weavers.

Modern colours are the most common palette used in weaving tartan. It produces the boldest, riches, darkest, and deepest colours possible. The method for producing these colours date back to about the Victorian period. It is ironic that the palette that is so-called "Modern" is in fact older than the "Ancient" palette. Modern colours are most likely the colour set first seen when viewing tartans. They tend to be the most common (far and away really) and are the go-to for not only wool but also P/V and acryllic tartan weavers (although I have seen a few tartans woven in P/V and acryllic done in a Weathered scheme--certainly this is not the norm).

I know, you might be on information overload, but never fear! These forums are an excellent resource for all-things-related to kilts, tartan, and Celtic culture (especially Scottish).