How can I keep the color of harvested bamboo?

[Tatty]

I live in puerto rico and I'm new here. I like to work with bamboo, but I would like to know how can I keep the color of my bamboo. See I do jewelry, earings and stuff like that. Can anybody give me a hint?

[Mark Meckes]

Hi Tatty and welcome!
Bamboo changes it's color many times. Each year that it is growing the colors gradually change. The color of the bamboo provides a good indication of when the bamboo is ready for harvest.

After the bamboo is harvested, the bamboo changes color again while it is drying. The color can vary considerably depending on how the bamboo is dried, and other treatments that are used.
There are many different natural colors of bamboo.... greens, greys, golds, yellows, orange, blacks, browns, speckled and blotched, striped etc etc

... and they all change color when dried.

Keeping some of the original color or changing to a new color is a very interesting subject and I look forward to discussing this more.

What kind of bamboo are you using .... and what color?
Hey good to hear about your making jewelry.
Carole and I make a few things too, to take to craft shows several times a year

Mark

[Tatty]

Hi here are some of my jewelry I made from bamboo, and the background is one of my paintings in acrylic. I really don't know what's the kind of bamboo I work on but I usually use the thin one and here in Puerto Rico there's a lot of bamboo everywhere I choose to use the thin one and the gold color ones.

http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/data/528/thumbs/5488.jpg Bamboo Necklace (http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=972) http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/data/528/thumbs/5487.jpg Bamboo Necklace and Earrings (http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=973)

[Mark Meckes]

Cool! Carole and I have a special fondness for bamboo beads because we met each other through a `bamboo bead exchange'!

Neat paintings! It gives your jewelry a tropical flavour.
Have you painted bamboo scenes too?

Yes I have heard that there is a lot of bamboo in Puerto Rico!
One day I would like to visit the Tropical Agriculture Research Station at Mayaguez, Puerto Rico (http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/may/build.cgi?content=Welcome)
They have a collection of many different bamboo species there.

Another way bamboo changes color is with wear. Also bamboo carvings change color as they age...

I've been wearing one of Carole's bamboo beaded eyeglass holders every day for over 3 years now, and here's a picture of it.
http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/data/528/thumbs/2MVC-052F.JPG
bamboo beads (http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=852) which have changed color with wear.

The bamboo beads, which were made from the branches of Phyllostachys aurea (Golden Bamboo) have changed from a light golden color to deep tan.

Here's a picture showing how drying methods can affect the color change. Phyllostachys aurea - Texas
http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/503/thumbs/1040605-065F.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=2292)

Mark

[Tatty]

Hi mark,
I live in Puerto Rico and I didn't even know about that place in mayaguez. I live like 10 minutes from there... it's funny right! I love the stuff you made, There cute : -) how did you get to cut the edges of those little things? and how do you get the colors on the beads? Do you paint them? Me and my husband are going to visit the place in Mayaguez to see if I can find the bamboo I want to make some candle holders. I will be posting some of the new stuff I made so you can check it out.

Keep in touch;
Tatty.