How to Dye Pearls

I bet you are aware that you can get your shoes dyed to match your dress. Well, you can use a similar process to match your pearls to your outfit, to other beads, or simply to suit your taste. You can dye genuine or faux pearls using either homemade or commercial dyes.

Before You Begin

There are few points to keep in mind before you begin:

• As with dyeing your hair, you should do a color test before you make a big commitment. Basically, this involves putting a pearl or a few through the exact process you intend to use for the entire batch.

• Some pigments are photoreactive, which means they will change color when exposed to light. This is most commonly seen with blues and violets, which often fade or discolor upon exposure to sunlight or ultraviolet light. If this might present a problem for you, test the pearls used in the color test for colorfastness after exposure to bright light. A few hours in direct sunlight should give you an indication of whether the color will fade or change.

• Natural pearls are more porous than faux pearls. Natural pearls that have been bleached white usually are more porous than unbleached pearls. Again, it helps to think of pearls like hair: the more treatments that have been involved, the more intense the dyed color will be and the more susceptible to fading too.

• You can dye the pearls loose or on a strand. If you keep the pearls on the strand, expect them to end up a little more heavily pigmented at the edges. The effect will be more noticeable with paler colors. It isn't necessarily a bad thing: most commercially colored pearls are dyed on the strand.

Using Storebought Dyes

One of the big advantages of using a commercially prepared dye is being able to reproduce the effects. Also, commercial dyes tend to be more colorfast than homemade dyes. If you are using a commercial dye (e.g., Rit dye), you want to start out following the manufacturer's instructions as much as is practical. Consider using a single process dye that is made for fabrics or for general craft uses. You may wish to run the dye through a coffee filter before applying it to the pearls to minimize potential speckling. After you are comfortable with the basic process, feel free to experiment with different dye concentrations and timing. Write down what you do so that you will be able to duplicate the results. Especially keep track of the quantity of dye used, volume of water, temperature of water, and duration of dyeing. Don't experiment to the point of adding substances to the dye mixture - this could lead to a potentially dangerous chemical reaction.

Making Natural Dyes

If you choose to make your own dye you will add a desirable handcrafted quality to your work, but you may find it difficult or impossible to replicate a particular tint. Be sure to do a color test to see if your final color is photoreactive. You can boil the dye into the pearls or you can dye the pearls in cool water. Boiling is necessary to get certain materials to give up their color. In general, boiling the dye is a faster process that tends to result in a deeper color. The risk to your pearls may be minimized by using a double boiler to prevent application of excessive heat to the pearls.

When seeking sources of natural colors, try flowers, produce, and various herbal teas. Canned produce will result in paler colors than fresh or frozen preparations. The addition of vinegar will result in deeper/different colors, but you can omit it if you prefer. To use a cold material, cover the pearls with water, add dyeing materials and a teaspoon or less of vinegar, and allow the pearls to sit until the desired color is achieved. You will probably want to rinse your pearls to remove excess dye. I recommend using distilled water for this purpose. Tap water sometimes contains contaminants or acidity that will react with dye and completely change the color. The resulting color may be wonderful, but the effect won't be reproducible unless your water quality is very stable. Rinse your pearls just until the water runs clear. After rinsing, hang the pearls or rest them on paper towels to dry.

Here is a method for boiling natural dyes:

1. Place the pearls in the top pan of a double boiler. Add water to just cover them.
   
2. Add approximately one teaspoon of vinegar.
   
3. Add the natural dye. Use more dye material for more pearls or for a more intense color.
   
4. Bring the water to a boil.
   
5. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes (or until the desired color is attained).
   
6. If you are pleased with the color, remove the pearls from the liquid.
   
7. At this point, if you want more intensely colored pearls, temporarily remove them from the liquid. Strain the dye through a coffee filter. Cover the pearls with the filtered dye and let them remain in the dye for several hours. By this point, the color you see is as dark as it gets.
8. Rinse the pearls and hang them or lay them flat on an absorbent surface to dry.

Here's a table listing some natural materials and their colors. Materials that must be boiled to impart their color are listed with 'boiled' in the table. Otherwise, the fruits, vegetables, and spices can be used cold.

Lavender	Small Quantity of Purple Grape Juice Violet Blossoms plus 2 tsp Lemon Juice
Violet Blue	Violet Blossoms Red Onions Skins (boiled)
Blue	Canned Blueberries Red Cabbage Leaves (boiled) Purple Grape Juice
Green	Spinach Leaves (boiled) Liquid Chlorophyll
Greenish Yellow	Golden Delicious Apple Peels (boiled)
Yellow	Orange or Lemon Peels (boiled) Carrot Tops (boiled) Celery Seed (boiled) Ground Cumin (boiled) Ground Turmeric (boiled)
Brown	Strong Coffee Instant Coffee Black Walnut Shells (boiled)
Orange	Yellow Onion Skins (boiled)
Pink	Beets Cranberries or Juice Raspberries Red Grape Juice Juice from Pickled Beets
Red	Lots of Red Onion Skins (boiled)

You are welcome to try these instructions out on other beads. Shells, bone, coral, ivory, and wood will all pick up dye. Do you have a special recipe for dyeing pearls or photograph of results that you would like to share? Feel free to e-mail me and I will post it (crediting you) to benefit others.

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