What effects do you get with "Interference" pigments?

Question

I'm curious about the "interference" colours in the Pearl-Ex and Perfect Pearls ranges of pigment powders. What sort of "infering" goes on with these? What effects do these colours give?

Thanks for any info!

Answer 1

Here's something from my website on "interference" pigments (it's on the page about mica powders like Pearl Ex, etc, even though interference pigments can also be found in paints,caked colors, etc.):

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"interference" colors of mica powder:

...An "interference color" is one that produces different colors depending on the way the light strikes it... and so show diff. colors when viewed from diff. angles (one color reflects and one color transmits)... so technically all opalesent or iridescent colors are created by interference.

...However, Pearl Ex calls it's colors "Interference" colors only when it's confined the interference colors to 2 colors.

Most interference colors are what appear to be singles ("Interference" + color name)

(these are white-based powders that produce a sheen of whatever the color name is)

.......when applied over white or lighter surfaces, the Interference Color is less obvious, and its "flip" effect is more obvious

..........in other words, if you put Interference Gold on white clay, the piece seems to have no color at all over light or white backgrounds, but you'll see a gold sheen when it's turned beneath the light. Dotty

..........or Interference Red powder appears white on light colored backgrounds, but when used on dark or black you'll see a red sheen

......when they're applied very thinly over dark colors, they don't show the whiteness you see in the jar at all, just the reflective color

Some interference powders come as doubles (two colors) though ... (e.g., blue-green... red-blue... green-yellow)

........when using the Red Blue Duo intereference powder, the result will be blue if applied over a black or dark clay color, and red if over white

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If you want to read more about interference powders, check out the rest of that sub-category on this page:

http://glassattic.com/polymer/powders_me...

(...click on INTERFERENCE POWDERS, under "Mica Powders")

HTH,

Diane B.

Answer 2

If it's what I'm thinking of, usually you get a bicolor sheen effect, something like the taffeta fabric that looks one color going one direction and another color in another direction. I'm not sure why they call them interference except that the colors DO exist in the same plane and compete for your eye.