On Mon, 14 Jul 2003 22:57:28 GMT, B a r r y B u r k e J r . Keep it
in the kyou wrote:

What about universal colorants? Is there any way to verify the
quality of the ingredients?

The artist's response is to ask the manufacturers. If you Google, you
can find lists that people have assembled.

It's also creating a nice trade in "boutique" pigments, guaranteed
hand ground by virgin monks on the slopes of the Himalayas. With
Afghanistan now being a bit more open to trade, the price of lapis
lazuli has dropped somewhat too.