Azurite

Azurite is the basic carbonate of copper and is found in many parts of the world in the upper oxidized portions of copper ore deposits along with malachite. Azurite varies in mass tone color from deep blue to pale blue with a greenish undertone. According to some authorities, azurite was found in paint pigment as early as the 4th Dynasty in Egypt. The particle size of azurite is maintained large to provide the deepest color possible because as it is ground to finer sizes, it loses some of its brilliance.

Lazurite (Lapis Lazuli)

Lazurite is a rare mineral commonly found combined with other minerals, called lapis lazuli. We buy select pieces of lapis from one of the oldest lazurite mines in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, as well as mines near Lake Baikal, Russia, and the Cordillera Range of Chile. These pieces are finely ground and washed to obtain the highest purity and deepest blue hue. The raw lapis is crushed, ground, and cleaned in a series of steps, removing impurities, such as calcite, pyrite, diopside, and wollastonite, until a concentrate of lazurite crystals is derived.

Malachite

Malachite is the basic carbonate of copper, described as a bright greenish blue or sometimes as a pale green mineral. The finer the pigment particle size is, the lighter green it becomes. Our malachite is obtained from mines in various parts of the world, such as Africa and Asia. Available in fine and coarse grades. Malachite is a mineral found in many parts of the world in dry or semiarid regions, usually near the surface, and is a good indicator of deeper copper deposits. Chemically, it is a combination of copper(II) carbonate and copper(II) hydroxide, Cu₂CO3(OH)₂.

Cinnabar and Vermilion

Cinnabar, a dense red mineral, is the principal ore of mercury. It is a historical pigment well known to the Romans and has been widely used in China since the 3rd-millennium B.C.E. The natural mineral is said to be more stable than the manufactured pigment known as vermilion.

Vermilion was used extensively in easel and miniature painting throughout the Middle Ages until the end of the 19th century. The traditional use of red glazes of madder or cochineal lakes over cinnabar or vermilion underpainting not only increases the intensity of the color but also reduces the tendency of these lake pigments to fade. Our dry process vermilion is made in China by a recipe handed down through successive generations.

Green Earth

Glauconite is a greenish mineral of hydrated iron potassium silicate, known as green earth, varying from pale green and bluish-green to olive-green. We obtain green earth from Cyprus, Estonia, Italy, and Ukraine. The most famous deposit of green earth is found near Verona, Italy. Restorers have proven that the famous green pigments of past centuries known as terre verte are, in essence, the mineral glauconite. Hematite is a dark red iron oxide. We obtain hematite from iron ore deposits in England, France, Italy, Russia, and the U.S. It is a lustrous pigment of considerable tinting strength and opacity. Hematite is the principal-coloring agent in red ochers, such as Pozzuoli red, Venetian red, etc. These pigments contain hematite associated with varying amounts of clay, chalk, and silica.

Orpiment

Orpiment is yellow arsenic sulfide, a rare mineral usually described as a lemon or canary yellow or sometimes as a golden or brownish yellow. Our orpiment is from Kadamdzhaï in Kyrgyzstan. The modern name comes from the Latin auripigmentum, or golden pigment. It is a historical pigment identified on ancient Egyptian objects and paintings from the 31st Dynasty to the 6th century B.C.E. It is mentioned in Greek and Roman literary sources. The Leyden papyrus described its use in late Egyptian painting, as does the Mappae Clavicula in early medieval painting. The pigment has been described in various other manuscripts dating from the 12th to the 15th centuries.