Are there any books available on how to dye rocks to change the color
of them such as changing the color of yellow tiger eye to red or
blue?
Are there any books available on how to dye rocks to change the color of them such as changing the color of yellow tiger eye to red or blue?
-
Yes, there is such a book: John Sinkankas (1972). Gemstone and
mineral data book. Ch. 6, Coloring gemstones and minerals. New York:
Collier Books. -
That said, yellow tigereye is converted to red (mahogany) by
heating - can be done in a normal home oven, but needs to be cooled
very slowly to avoid shattering. I’m not sure yellow can be
converted to blue - blue is the color stage before yellow in natural
tigereye color evolution.
Gemstone and Mineral Data Book:
A Compilation of Data, Recipes, Formulas and Instructions for the
Mineralogist, Gemologist, Lapidary, Jeweler, Craftsman…
By John Sinkankas
Price: $25.00
Media: Paperback
Manufacturer : Geoscience Press
Release data : 01 April, 1994
Actually, if it is tigers eye that you wish to color, the process
involves heating, not dye. I don’t have the at my
fingertips, but I think that you get red tigers eye that way, and
the blue occurs naturally, sometimes called “hawk’s eye”.
The set of dyes I have for stones, such as agate, are powders that
are meant to be mixed with alcohol. The stone is shaped before
treatment, as the dyes do not penetrate very deeply.
Rose Alene McArthur
Are there any books available on how to dye rocks to change the color of them such as changing the color of yellow tiger eye to red or blue?
I don’t know of any books on the subject, but the following may help
you.
A lot of yellow, or golden Tiger Eye is bleached, then dyed. I’m not
certain what acid(s) may be used for this, but I’m sure many other
Orchidians do. Once bleached, gentle heating to expand the matrix
would probably allow most colorfast dyes to penetrate the material.
Most blue Tiger’s-Eye (Tigereye Tiger-Eye, Tigereye…you pick the
spelling 
is naturally-colored with traces of iron oxide over the
millenia. In other words, a lot of it comes out of the ground that
way. Red material is usually heated to get the color, and you can do
it yourself in your home oven.
Use a vessel to hold the material and place a layer of sand or clay
to cover the bottom. Then, place the material on the sand or clay
and cover it with more on all sides and the top. This is to protect
the stone from thermal shock, which would likely cause unwanted
cracks.
Place it in your (cold) oven and slowly ramp the temperature up to
400F over a period of a few hours. Leave it there for an hour or so,
then ramp the temperature down over a similar period.
The exact color you wind up with will depend on the temperature and
time in the oven, as well as the precise makeup of the Tigereye you
have. Some trace elements can affect the outcome, and Mother Earth
deposited many different ones into the many deposits of this
material around the world. Experimentation with small, or scrap,
pieces is recommended.
WARNING: Tiger-Eye was once thought to be a Quartz REPLACEMENT for
the crocidolite fibers that give it it’s chatoyancy. It is now known
that the possibly carcinogenic asbestos quality is NOT replaced.
Playing around with this material may be more hazardous than
previously thought. Handle with care.
James in SoFl
hi donalma,
Tiger eye will turn red if heated in your regular cooking oven at
its highest heat. you must place it in a glass baking dish and
slowly increase the heat till it assumes its color then cool it
slowly. I know of no way to turn yelow to blue.
jim
The process of dyeing won’t help here…
Blue is the original color of this material… known as hawk’s eye.
Oxidation turns the blue to the golden brown of tiger’s eye… and
heating tiger’s eye produces the red know as ox-eye or bull’s eye.
I’ve heard that tiger’s eye can also be bleached to lighten it, but
I’m not sure how this is done. A quick google will give you the
info on heating tiger’s eye.
Carol
Carol J. Bova
bova@bovagems.com