c. 3000 BCE Lapis lazuli trade feeds luxury blue Afghan lapis lazuli moves through long-distance trade networks as a rare source of prized blue color. c. 2600 BCE Egyptian blue becomes the first synthetic pigment Ancient Egyptian artisans manufacture a stable artificial blue from silica, lime, copper, and alkali. c. 2000 BCE Indigo dyeing develops across Afro-Eurasia Blue organic dyes from indigo-bearing plants become important in textile traditions across multiple regions. c. 500 BCE Persian and Mediterranean elites prize deep blues Blue stones, glazes, and cloth gain strong associations with prestige, trade, and sacred display. c. 500 BCE Islamic artisans advance blue glazes Ceramic technologies in the Islamic world spread vivid blues through architecture and decorative arts. c. 500 BCE Ultramarine enters European painting Ground lapis lazuli reaches European workshops, where ultramarine becomes one of the costliest pigments. c. 500 BCE Blue gains new prestige in Marian art Renaissance painters reserve expensive ultramarine for sacred and high-status commissions, especially the Virgin Mary's robes. c. 1540 Smalt offers a cheaper painter's blue Ground cobalt glass provides artists with an alternative blue pigment, though often less stable than ultramarine. 1704 Prussian blue is discovered An accidental reaction in Berlin produces Prussian blue, the first modern synthetic pigment widely adopted in art and industry. 1724 Prussian blue enters print and paint markets Publication and commercial manufacture spread the new pigment rapidly across Europe. 1802 Cobalt blue is commercialized A more stable cobalt-based blue begins to replace older blues in some artistic and industrial uses. 1826 Synthetic ultramarine breaks the lapis monopoly Industrial chemistry produces an affordable ultramarine, democratizing a once-luxury blue. 1856 Mauveine launches the synthetic dye era William Henry Perkin's mauve signals the modern chemical dye industry, transforming all color production. 1882 Synthetic indigo begins to rival plant dye Industrial chemistry moves blue textile color from fields toward factories. 1901 Blue pigments enter mass printing and advertising Cheap synthetic blues become routine in posters, packaging, and consumer branding. 1931 Electronic blue becomes a display problem Color reproduction in television and imaging turns blue into a technical challenge rather than only a pigment question. 1960 Yves Klein patents International Klein Blue A modern artist turns a particular ultramarine effect into a signature aesthetic statement. 1993 Blue LEDs make full-color modern screens possible Efficient blue light-emitting diodes enable brighter displays and later white LED lighting. 2007 Smartphone screens turn blue into emitted light The mass smartphone era shifts blue from mined stone and pigment to controlled pixels on handheld screens.