Cochineal, madder and the long history of red
For most of history, a strong red was hard to make. Dyers in Europe and Asia relied on madder root, which gives a warm, slightly brownish red, until the Spanish brought cochineal back from the Americas in the 16th century. Made from crushed insects that live on prickly-pear cactus, it produced a far brighter crimson and became one of the most valuable goods shipped from the New World, prized for textiles and paint.
Modern dyes have made a deep red easy, and coloured woods like the one on this keychain usually owe their tone to them. Set against a polished brass bolster, with a 4.7 cm stainless blade folding into a 5.8 cm handle, the colour turns a classic Pakistan folding knife pattern into something bolder. Of all the keychains made in Pakistan in this series, the red one stands out first on a counter.
