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Sylvia Rose
2 hours ago7 min read
Brettanomyces: Favorite Artisan Wild Yeast
Brettanomyces is a wild yeast with domestic traits. "Brett" is found throughout the natural world. Microscopy helps define and...
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Sylvia Rose
20 hours ago4 min read
Isolate Lactic Acid Bacteria for Artisan Flavors
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) create delicious flavors and tangy textures in dairy products like cheese, yogurt and fermented milk. These...
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Sylvia Rose
1 day ago7 min read
Five Sugars: Glucose, Maltose, Fructose, Sucrose, Lactose
Sugars are primary consumables and influence how bodies function, often in surprising ways. Sugars are essential for overall health. The...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 29, 20247 min read
German Romanticism: Nature & Emotion
German Romanticism (Deutsche Romantik) is an influential movement emphasizing profound emotions, the beauty of nature, and the power of...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 13, 20245 min read
Chalk (CaCO3): Bounty of the Primal Seas
Chalk is fundamentally calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and takes hundreds of millions of years to form. This seemingly mundane mineral has a...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 27, 20246 min read
Zaffre: Vintage Cobalt Blue Glass & Artists' Pigment
Zaffre (zaffer) is a vibrant deep blue pigment developed by alchemists, major pigment creators, by c. 1550 AD. Characterized by brilliant...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 22, 20245 min read
German Peasants' War: Rebellion of Despair
The German Peasants' War (1524-5) is short, bloody and violent, and changes the course of history in Europe. Up to 400,000 peasants rise...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 18, 20247 min read
Mercury II Oxide: Red & White of Alchemy
In practical alchemy, mercury II oxide (HgO) is often called the "Red Precipitate," with its compound Mercuric Amidochloride (Hg(NH2)Cl),...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 15, 20245 min read
Liver of Sulfur: Alchemy, Metal & Medicine
Liver of Sulfur is a unique compound of alchemy, metallurgy and medicine. Also known as hepar sulfuris or sulfurated potash, Liver of...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 9, 20245 min read
Scheele's Green: History's Most Toxic Pigment
Scheele's Green is a rich, vibrant green. Its color appeal surpasses that of the copper carbonate paints of the late 18th century and...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 7, 20245 min read
Copper(II) Sulfate: Blue Vitriol, Chalcanthite
Copper (II) sulfate CuSO4 yields a vivid color and widespread applications. Also known as blue vitriol in alchemy and chalcanthite in...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 1, 20245 min read
Silverpoint Drawing: Art of the Renaissance
Silverpoint is a drawing medium with distinct artistic potential. This delicate and precise medium has a rich history, unique properties,...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 1, 20248 min read
11 Favorite Drawing Mediums of Artists
Drawing is a creative expression for humans since cave paintings of prehistory. In art, anything making a mark is a drawing tool....
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 1, 20245 min read
Sanguine: Red Chalk of Renaissance Masters
Sanguine is a rich, reddish-brown chalk beloved by Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo. Creating flesh-like tones in the human form...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 1, 20245 min read
Guar Gum: Unique Qualities for Art & Crafts
Guar gum is recognized for its unique natural properties in visual arts and crafting. From enhancing textures to creating custom paints,...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 31, 20243 min read
Mosaic Gold: Alchemy of a Forgotten Art
Mosaic gold is also known to alchemists as aurum musivum or aurum mosaicum due to its mottled formation. Forgotten in the data fields...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 31, 20244 min read
Aromatic Cold Oil Infusions: DIY Alchemy Perfumes
Aromatic cold infused oil is a rich artisan tradition of culture and the art of allure. This ancient form of perfume-making connects...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 30, 20243 min read
Artisan Perfumery: Four Degrees of Fragrance
Perfumes are grouped according to their strengths. Every fragrance has a purpose, from a fresh splash of rose or mint to mysterious...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 30, 20244 min read
Practical Alchemy of DIY Perfumes & Aromas
The alchemy of perfumes goes back thousands of years. Here are the practical aspects of perfumes in ancient and medieval times, how...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 30, 20246 min read
Science of Alchemy: Alchemical Innovations
Alchemy these days is often seen only as a mystical practice purveying the clic hé of turning base metals into gold. Alchemy is in fact...
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