Hematite Violet Genuine (PrimaTek) Hématite Violette Véritabe

Hematite stones are milled to a fine pigment to create this stunning watercolour. Rich and shadowy violet washes are studded with a pattern of deep granulation. Bring excitement to neutral tones with this PrimaTek® pigment—driftwood, tree bark, and rocky cliffs come alive with texture and drama. Be inspired by this rugged violet that stays true with excellent light fastness.

Hematite is ground from heavy, silvery-black minerals rich in iron. In a thick wash, the heavier particles settle, creating bold granulation. In a thin wash, it is a beautiful reddish-violet grey. Whether thick or thin, Hematite Violet mixes wonderfully with other colours.

Hematite is the traditional Greek name for bloodstone. When you paint, you can almost feel the pounding of the battle drums as ancient warriors covered their bodies with hematite, believing they would be protected from mortal wounds. According to lore and superstition, large surface deposits of hematite mark the site of hard-fought battles, where the blood of fallen soldiers flowed into the ground.

• Pigment names: Genuine Hematite - Véritable Hématite (PrimaTek)
• ASTM Lightfastness Rating: 1 Excellent
• Transparency: Semi-transparent
• Granulating: Yes
• Staining: Low
• Series: 3

The DANIEL SMITH PrimaTeks are gorgeous watercolours that mix beautifully with other colours. Since their introduction, artists worldwide have been thrilled to paint with these unique mineral watercolours, and you will be, too!

What are PrimaTek Watercolours?

DANIEL SMITH PrimaTek watercolours are unique paints made with mineral pigments; many are semi-precious minerals mined from the earth, ground finely, and made into beautiful PrimaTek watercolours for artists everywhere!

There are 37 exclusive DANIEL SMITH PrimaTek Watercolours made from minerals such as Amethyst, Bloodstone, and Jadeite. The raw mineral specimens that DANIEL SMITH finds worldwide are ground into pigments, mixed with gum arabic, and milled to create those gorgeous watercolour paints! Nearly all PrimaTeks have granulating properties, giving these watercolours wonderful texture and depth, which some artists have described as "magical."

For thousands of years, people have been making paints with earth mineral pigments like ochre in yellows, reds and browns. While many natural pigments run to the "earthy" colours like the ochres we all know, some are unique to DANIEL SMITH, like Hematite Genuine, Bloodstone Genuine and Tiger's Eye Genuine, the "Genuine" after the mineral name for the watercolour usually means that the paint colour is made only from that particular mineral pigment. When made into paints, nearly all these minerals have beautiful granulation, giving artists extra painting effects. A few have a hint of sparkle or sheen from the crushed crystals, such as Amethyst, Kyanite, Red Fuchsite, Sugilite, and both bronze and Burnt bronze.

Many DANIEL SMITH PrimaTek Watercolours are made from minerals that produce vibrant, luminous colours, such as Genuine Amethyst, Serpentine, and Rhodonite. Most artists are surprised that "rocks" can become such brilliant colours in watercolours!

DANIEL SMITH has a mineralogist who, like Indiana Jones, searches the world, sometimes in remote locations, to find minerals with the potential to become DANIEL SMITH PrimaTek Watercolours. Once he finds the raw mineral, the DANIEL SMITH chemist rigorously tests it for colour capacity and reliability, how the mineral performs as paint, its lightfastness, and more. Once a mineral proves itself to meet DANIEL SMITH's high standards and what artists expect, it is made into a watercolour that will delight artists everywhere.

To make the minerals into the watercolours, DANIEL SMITH breaks them down from large rocks called "massives" into smaller rocks, then continues breaking them down and removing impurities until the minerals are eventually ground down into pigments. Once the pigments are ready, the DANIEL SMITH manufacturing team mixes them with gum arabic; the mixture is then put on a 3-roll mill and, after some time and tests, is made into DANIEL SMITH PrimaTek watercolours. The milling process for each watercolour is specific to that particular mineral pigment; if you mill (or grind) the minerals too small, the colour becomes dull.

The key is to ensure that each mineral pigment's particle size is large enough to refract the most light for the best colour and small enough to be used for watercolour. Every batch of watercolour is tested to meet DANIEL SMITH's standards for that particular watercolour, and the tests are retained to ensure the colour consistency that artists expect.