Making authentic Tyrian purple dye starts with extracting a mu | Business Insider

Making authentic Tyrian purple dye starts with extracting a murex snail gland.

After a series of painstaking steps, Tunisian dye maker Mohamed Ghassen Nouira turns as much as 45 kilograms of snails into a single gram of pure Tyrian purple extract.

When he's done, he can sell it for $2,700. Some retailers sell a gram of the pigment for over $3,000. In comparison, 5 grams of synthetic Tyrian purple costs under $4.

So, why is real Tyrian purple so hard to make? And is that why it's so expensive?

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