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Knowing the Three Primary Oxides of Iron
Iron is abundant in Earth's crust and one of the seven metals of antiquity . Essential for life, iron can form various oxides and change...

Sylvia Rose
Sep 1, 20243 min read
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How to Make Iron Oxide Pigment at Home
Make non-toxic iron oxide pigments for painting, dyes, glazes, artistic to industrial uses. Iron oxide (Fe2O3) or rust exists on Earth...

Sylvia Rose
Sep 1, 20245 min read
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How to Make Copperas Red: Simply Science
Copperas, iron(II) sulfate or green ferrous sulfate, is a versatile compound in various applications, from agriculture to water...

Sylvia Rose
Aug 31, 20244 min read
21 views


Natural Purple Dyes: Ancient & Medieval
Dyers, coloring professionals, metal workers and gemologists seek vibrant colors and tones since early civilization. The first use of...

Sylvia Rose
Aug 31, 20245 min read
39 views


Earthy & Mineral Hematite: Differences
Hematite, an iron oxide mineral, is well-known for its striking metallic luster and deep red to black colorations. Appearing in various...

Sylvia Rose
Aug 30, 20244 min read
20 views


Hematite: Iron Oxide Red Earth Pigment
"Hematite" comes from the ancient Greek for blood. The stone makes red dust when cut and polished. The red color isn't always visible at...

Sylvia Rose
Aug 30, 20245 min read
33 views


How to Extract Red from Hematite: A Step-by-Step Guide
Hematite, an iron oxide mineral with the chemical formula Fe2O3, is prevalent around the world. Known for metallic luster and red earth...

Sylvia Rose
Aug 29, 20244 min read
17 views


How to Make Hematite Pigment: A Step-by-Step Guide
Hematite, an iron ore with the chemical formula Fe2O3 (ferric oxide), is known for its metallic luster. In earthy form the stone offers a...

Sylvia Rose
Aug 29, 20243 min read
8 views


How to Make Copperas Ferrous Sulfate: Process
Copperas, known chemically as ferrous sulfate (FeSOâ‚„), has been a vital compound across various industries for centuries. Although...

Sylvia Rose
Aug 29, 20243 min read
33 views


Caput Mortuum: Dead Head Purple Pigment
Caput mortuum (Latin "dead head") is a purple hematite iron oxide pigment, used in oil paints and dyes. Due to cultural significance of...

Sylvia Rose
Aug 29, 20243 min read
14 views


Asphodel: Ancient Dye & Medicine Plants
Among the showy flowering plants, perennial Asphodelus is an elegant and adaptable beauty. A genus of the Asphodelaceae or aloe family,...

Sylvia Rose
Aug 28, 20245 min read
24 views


Tricky Alchemy: Caput Mortuum Purple
Caput mortuum, Latin for as "dead head" is an ominous name for a valued color. As an iron oxide it's easy to make at home. As a purple...

Sylvia Rose
Aug 26, 20243 min read
10 views


Alchemy: Dyeing Stones to Look Like Gems
Although alchemy is often associated with gold-making, another essential skill of the alchemist is to color or dye stones like quartz...

Sylvia Rose
Aug 24, 20246 min read
17 views


Christine de Pizan: Medieval Writings
Christine de Pizan or Pisan (Cristina da Pizzano) c.1364 - 1430 is an Italian-born French court writer during the reign of King Charles...

Sylvia Rose
Aug 22, 20245 min read
22 views


Lapis Lazuli: Creating Ultramarine
Lapis lazuli or "blue stone" is prized for its depth and brilliance in paint as the color ultramarine. Before the 1800s, ultramarine...

Sylvia Rose
Aug 16, 20245 min read
21 views


Lapis Lazuli & Gold: Jungian Alchemy Symbolism
Alchemy symbolism is an ancient and fluctuating system of intertwined elements compounded over more than 2000 years. A cornerstone of...

Sylvia Rose
Aug 16, 20245 min read
14 views


Birds and Bird Symbolism in Alchemy
The Raven, Swan, Dove, Pelican, Peacock and Phoenix are among the symbolic birds of alchemy . Raven may be interchangeable with Crow,...

Sylvia Rose
Aug 15, 20246 min read
47 views


Poison Pigments of Painters: Renaissance
During the Western Renaissance, new exciting artists' pigments appear in brilliant colors, vibrant scarlet red, deep rich blue,...

Sylvia Rose
Aug 15, 20247 min read
45 views


Alchemy: How to Make Emerald from Quartz
Alchemy has origins in ancient medicine, metallurgy and gemology. As metallurgy evolves to coloring metals the goal is to make base...

Sylvia Rose
Aug 14, 20245 min read
29 views


Vitriol in Alchemy: Caustic Compounds
Vitriols are among the most important alchemical ingredients. Green vitriol is the archaic term for all vitriols and now means ferrous...

Sylvia Rose
Aug 12, 20245 min read
28 views
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