Geodes Dies

What dies would be used to die stone like the geodes done in Brazil,
and what would the chemical be that carries the die. Lloyd,

Tempe, AZ.

This can be a very complicated answer to a very complicated
question. If you are planning to do dyeing at the commercial level,
there are many proprietary procedures used by various companies. I
understand there are a number of books available that provide
on the subject but will have to depend on others in this
regard. You might do a search of the Lapidary Journal
archives…John Sinkankas wrote a number of articles for LJ in 1963
and the book The Agates of North America contains some useful

If, however, you are planning on doing a bit of dyeing on a small
scale, look for a great little book “Gemstone and Chemicals” aka “How
to create color and Inclusions” by the late George W. Fischer, Ph.D
dated 1991. Mr. Fischer was a chemist who spent about 25 years
researching how to color agates and jaspers using inorganic
substances. I have used many of his formulations and found they
really work! The problem you face is that there are a very limited
number of these books available.

Good luck and cheers from Don at the Charles Belle Studio in SOFL
where simple elegance IS fine jewelry! @coralnut1