Fascinating story.

I thought of jodi when I read the article...I imagined her ancestors who might have been in the ancient dye and pigments business...

I also love it when there are ancient methods that we can't figure out. Instills a bit of humility.

When I saw the story, I also thought of this one, about a fabric from the past that has disappeared.

Dhaka Muslin

Color history is fascinating. Blues and purples were colors of royalty for a reason - ones with any sort of light fastness were extremely expensive and rare. Ultramarine Blue used to refer to the mineral Lapis Lazuli, until the chemical compound that made the color was synthesized - and then the synthesized color was called French Ultramarine. Now it’s just called Ultramarine Blue - it’s inexpensive, it’s lightfast, it’s non-toxic, and it’s a fantastic blue - I use it all the time. You can buy Lapis Lazuli pigment - but look at the cost.



Compared to the synthetic:

And of course, in the southwest we have Navajo weaving with ...

Red from Cochineal

Only the most expensive weavings use the stuff today because the German synthetic dyes that arrived in the late 19th century were much cheaper and produced more vibrant color.

Cochineal Red: