How to Make Ultramarine Blue

In this episode of Becoming Artsy, Jessie tries to make a paint color more precious than gold

By Caitlin Shamberg

It's not easy to make the most expensive color ever.

But Jessie and Getty Conservation Institute scientist Monica Ganio are going to try. Watch as they attempt to recreate a 14th-century recipe for ultramarine.

First, they have to smash a rock into tiny pieces, then extract the deep blue. Along the way, they incorporate beeswax, resin, and some old-fashioned warnings about who should do this work, and who shouldn't.