The most precious colour during the Roman period was Tyrian Purple, a dye produced from the secretions of murex snails, a type of sea snail found in the eastern Mediterranean. It required around 12,000 snails to make a single gram of dye, therefore it was extremely expensive to acquire and the ultimate status symbol. Learn more about pigments on our blog: https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2021/10/07/pigment-colour-index-violet-pigments/?utm_campaign=tyrian_purple&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=so

Making authentic Tyrian purple dye starts with extracting a murex snail gland. After a series of painstaking steps, Tunisian dye maker Mohamed Ghassen Nouira turns as much as 45 kilograms of snails into a single gram of pure Tyrian purple extract. When he's done, he can sell it for $2,700. Some retailers sell a gram of the pigment for over $3,000. In comparison, 5 grams of synthetic Tyrian purple costs under $4. So, why is real Tyrian purple so hard to make? And is that why it's so expensive? |