Sylvia Rose
Natural Purple Dyes: Ancient & Medieval
Dyers, coloring professionals, metal workers and gemologists seek vibrant colors and tones since early civilization. The first use of...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 304 min read
Hematite: Iron Oxide Red Earth Pigment
"Hematite" comes from the ancient Greek for blood. The stone creates red dust when cut and polished. The red color isn't always visible...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 294 min read
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...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 293 min read
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...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 293 min read
How to Make Copperas Ferrous Sulfate: Process
Copperas, known chemically as ferrous sulfate (FeSO₄), has been a vital compound across various industries for centuries. Although...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 293 min read
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...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 263 min read
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...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 165 min read
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...
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Sylvia Rose
Jul 263 min read
Alkanet: Ancient Dye Magic & Medicine
Alkanet (Alkanna tinctoria) is a plant related to borage, also a popular medicinal herb. Alkanet is used in folk magic, alchemy, natural...
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Sylvia Rose
May 316 min read
Vermilion - Scarlet Pigment of Death
Vermilion (vermillion) is a brilliant red, orange-red or scarlet pigment obtained by grinding cinnabar (HgS), a sulfur and mercury ore. A...
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Sylvia Rose
May 306 min read
Cinnabar (Mercury Sulfide) Red Death
Cinnabar or mercury sulfide (HgS) is a rock composed of mercury (Hg) and sulfur (S). Historically it's used to make vermillion or scarlet...
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Sylvia Rose
Mar 157 min read
Verdigris: Coveted Blue Green Copper Pigment
Verdigris is the green rust or patina on copper, created as the metal reacts with oxygen in the environment. Copper corrodes green to...
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Sylvia Rose
Mar 135 min read
Orpiment - Painter's Golden Poison
Orpiment is a golden orange or yellow arsenic sulfide mineral. Found in volcanic fumaroles, low-temperature hydrothermal veins, and hot...
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Sylvia Rose
Mar 103 min read
White Pigments of Ancient Artisans
White pigments used in ancient art, spirituality and beauty include bone, limestone variations like chalk and other natural sources....
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Sylvia Rose
Mar 106 min read
Weld Yellow: Ancient Nature Pigments
Weld (Reseda luteola) is a natural yellow dye and pigment made from a flowering plant of the Resedaceae family. Weld is praised by...
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Sylvia Rose
Mar 85 min read
Kaolinite: White Pigment with Benefits
Kaolinite, a white clay mineral, is among the first pigments. It's created by the weathering of minerals found in stone. Present in...
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