Lucite Cube // Cobalt

Today, cobalt finds a primary use in the making of high grade steels as it is harder and much more resistant to corrosion than the iron with which it is alloyed. Before this benefit was exploited cobalt was much better known for its use in lightfast pigments. It is responsible thus for the intense blue glass of the same name and also for “Prussian blue”; a paint which to the relief of 18th century painters was much more affordable than the ground lapis lazuli that had until then been imported all the way from Afghanistan for this purpose.

Although cheaper pigments have yet in the past century largely relegated cobalt’s use to obscurity, this is by no means to be interpreted as also becoming less important. New uses in electronics, particularly in batteries, mean that demand will continue to place a strain on mining output.

This here is an especially attractive and meaty piece from a block that has been sliced open to reveal a wonderfully reflective and textured surface. A photo just can't do it justice!