Did you know? What are the rarest colors in the world?

 

Did you know? These are the rarest colors in the world

Don’t you just love comparing paint swatches, ‘having a spin’ at the Pantone color wheel, flipping through hundreds of books and magazines, … and then suddenly finding that perfect hue? If so, then you owe a big thank you to Edward Forbes. As the director of Harvard University’s Fogg Art Museum from 1909 to 1944, Forbes traveled the world to collect more than 2,500 pigments from ‘Mummy Brown’ – yes, he amassed actual mummy dust – to so-called ‘Dragon’s Blood’. Talk about color management, right? The Forbes collection includes seven of the rarest colors in the world …

1. Lapis Lazuli

Lapus Lazuli is a blue mineral so rare that in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance it was actually more valuable than gold. Today it is still a much sought-after stone prized for its intense blue hue. The most beautiful Lapis Lazuli stones are sourced in Afghanistan.

In RGB color space, hex #26619c (also known as Lapis lazuli) is composed of 14.9% red, 38% green, and 61.2% blue.

2. Quercitron

Quercitron is a yellow pigment that comes from the bark of the Quercus velutina (black oak), a tree that grows in the Eastern and Midwestern parts of North America.

The RGB values for Sico 3106-54 Quercitron are 229, 176, 61 and the HEX code is #E5B03D. The LRV for Sico 3106-54 Quercitron is 48.07.

3. Cochineal

Cochineal is a red pigment obtained from squashed beetles that are mainly used in – brace yourself – food and cosmetics.

The hexadecimal color code #9d232d is a medium-dark shade of pink-red. In the RGB color model #9d232d is comprised of 61.57% red, 13.73% green and 17.65% blue.

4. Dragon’s Blood

As the name suggests, Dragon’s Blood is made of actual dragon’s blood … No, we’re just kidding, of course! Dragon’s Blood is a bright red pigment that is extracted from the rattan palm.

ICI Paints 3097 Dragon Blood 70RR 17/372 / #aa5061 Hex Color Code. The hexadecimal color code #aa5061 is a shade of pink-red. In the RGB color model #aa5061 is comprised of 66.67% red, 31.37% green and 38.04% blue

5. Mummy Brown

In the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, people would travel to Egypt to harvest mummies and turn the dust and wrappings they scraped off the bodies into a brown pigment they appropriately – or better said, inappropriately? – called Mummy Brown.

The hexadecimal RGB code of Mummy's Tomb color is #828E84. This code is composed of a hexadecimal 82 red (130/256), an 8E green (142/256), and an 84 blue component (132/256).

6. Brazilwood

Caesalpinia echinata or Brazilwood is a tree native to Brazil – of course – and prized for the deep brownish-red color of its trunk. Brazilwood is typically used to dye leather, textile, musical instruments, and high-quality furniture.

The hexadecimal color code #bda685 is a medium-light shade of brown. In the RGB color model #bda685 is comprised of 74.12% red, 65.1% green and 52.16% blue. In the HSL color space #bda685 has a hue of 35° (degrees), 30% saturation and 63% lightness.

7. Cadmium Yellow

First introduced in the mid-19th century, cadmium yellow pigment was used by many impressionists who fell in love with its zesty appearance. Unfortunately, cadmium is an extremely toxic metal that is known to cause cancer, kidney failure and softening of the bones, among other life-threatening health conditions. Cadmium was commonly used in children’s toys up until the 1970s and these days is predominantly used in batteries.

 In a RGB color space, hex #fff600 (also known as Cadmium yellow) is composed of 100% red, 96.5% green and 0% blue. Whereas in a CMYK color space, it is composed of 0% cyan, 3.5% magenta, 100% yellow and 0% black. It has a hue angle of 57.9 degrees, a saturation of 100% and a lightness of 50%.