Calamine brass Calamine brass Calamine brass is brass produced by a particular alloying technique using the zinc ore calamine directly, rather than first refining it to metallic zinc. Direct zinc smelting appears to have been unknown in Europe until the mid-18th century, even though the alloyed calamine brass was in use for centuries, and metallic zinc was produced directly via reducing-atmosphere smelting in India and China from the 12th century CE onwards. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc and, when it was first developed, methods for producing metallic zinc were unknown. Metallurgists wishing to produce brass thus used calamine (actually
Metallic color the metallic finish of such paints was added using fine aluminum powder and pigment rather than actual gold. The use of metallic colors is not limited to those colors that approximate the appearance of actual metals. In some instances, it has been noted, "[b]eetles with bright metallic colors are made up into tie pins and cuff links". One popular modern use of metallic colors is for automobiles, which use metallic paint to achieve a particular shine. Such colors "are made from a combination of different pigments and aluminum flakes that have different weights and particle sizes". Crayon-maker Crayola has manufactured