DiceCollector.com - DIE BODY COLOR STYLE - MULTI COLOR
DIE BODY COLOR STYLE

MULTI COLOR


I find that the body of a die is more attractive when there are multiple colors

There are several ways in which manufacturers use multiple colors in the production of dice

Here are the most common methods

GLITTER

CANDY PAPER

GLOW IN THE DARK
 
LAYERED

NEBULA

SPECKLED

SWIRL

#-TONE
       


     
GLITTER

Glitter is a generic term for the reflective particulate material inclusion in dice that
are used to achieve different effects in dice manufacturing
as well as a specific term for a grade of coarseness

Please note ... the names of the grades are the names I use in the database

Starting from the most fine glitter (Metallic) and working up to the most coarse (Tinsel)

There is currently a controversy over OLD GLITTER (made of mica) vs NEW GLITTER (made of plastic)
Bottom Line : OLD GLITTER (BAD) ... NEW GLITTER (GOOD)



METALLIC

The most fine glitter gives a true metallic look

This grade is so fine it almost looks like a paste ... many eye shadows and nail powder use this grade

Dice : MINT4 31 GAMESCIENCE SILVER   Dice : MINT75 DNDDICE LIQUID MERCURY


     
IRIDESCENT

The next finest glitter is used to achieve the effect of a uniform metallic sheen (iridescence)

 Dice : MINT56 Q WORKSHOP CLASSIC 02


   
BOREALIS (TM)

This grade of glitter is a bit larger than iridescence and gives a shadow of reflective color

and was

Introduced by Chessex Manufacturing sometime before 2000

 Dice : MINT75 UDIXIDICE AC GL21

notice the purple and blue sheen?


    
GLITTER

Glitter dice are identified by the ability to easily see the individual pieces of glitter

Glitter can vary in density ... and size 

 Dice : MINT66 HENGDA HDI 05 Dice : MINT63 IMPACT MINIATURES GLITTER   Dice : D20 TRANSLUCENT SHARP GLITTER 01

Glitter dice need not be made of plastic

PAPERGLASSMETALSTONEWOOD
Dice : MINT38 BONE1040 PRISON 01Dice : MINT61 NORSE FOUNDRY STONE SANDSTONE BLUEDice : MINT71 CHENGSHUO HEART X23 Dice : MINT57 NORSE FOUNDRY LAPIS LAZULIDice : MINT46 AARON BOGGS


   
CONFETTI

Confetti is just like it sounds ... it can be of just about any shape ... and are metallic in appearance

The key thing to confetti is ... it is almost always two dimensional or nearly so

So you can turn the die and look at the confetti on edge

Dice : MINT69 KRAKEN RAINBOW ALPHABET  Dice : MINT67 DICE ENVY EUREKA  Dice : MINT69 KRAKEN RED BUTTERFLIES FILLED WITH GOLD
   

   
TINSEL

Tinsel is a form of confetti but is long and skinny ... like Christmas Tree tinsel

Introduced by CRYSTAL CASTE before 2000 ... they seem to be the only company who ever sold these

 Dice : LG PLASTIC 03   Dice : LG PLASTIC2 03 STREAMERS
   

 
ADDITIONAL INFO

Wikipedia - Glitter

The history of glitter

Chessex Borealis Glitter Guide

   



CANDY PAPER

Candy Paper is a term used by 

but was first seen in a kickstarter referred to as DISPEL DICE

 Dice : MINT73 QINGDAO JISHUN ARTS AND CRAFTS DISPEL DICE 01

The effect is achieved by an inclusion in the die in the form of crumpled iridescent plastic ...
I assume that this is used for candy wrappers in China


       

     
GLOW IN THE DARK


Glow in the dark (GITD) dice are multi colored as the glow color is often different from the color in normal light

Glow in the dark dice have been around for years

The intensity of the glow depends on the amount of glow material that is mixed with the plastic ...
and can be expensive

The shade and intensity of 'glow' will vary ... even within a set

Dice : MINT76 BLACK OAK WORKSHOP MOON DRAGON  Dice : MINT74 CHESSEX 30041U NEBULA SUPERNOVA UNPAINTED  

This could be due to the 'normal light' colors used in the die
Dice : MINT59 HENGDA GLOW Dice : MINT54 BESCON TWO TONE GLOW BLANK



Glow COLORS


The most common glow color is GREEN
Dice : MINT62 BESCON D100 02 GLOW  Dice : MINT74 Q WORKSHOP DIGITAL CLASSIC TRANSLUCENT GLOW 03
   

   
A far second is BLUE
 Dice : MINT56 BESCON TWO TONE HALF GLOW 06 ICY ROCKS  Dice : MINT68 NORSE FOUNDRY TRUSTONE GLOW BLUE  Dice : MINT52 CHESSEX 2016 COLORS GHOSTLY GLOW PINK
   
 
   
Next is PINK
(although they call it RED)
Dice : MINT74 Q WORKSHOP VIKING OPAQUE GLOW 01
   

   
YELLOW is also an option ... but quite rare
Dice : MINT74 Q WORKSHOP WRAITH Dice : MINT56 BESCON TWO TONE HALF GLOW 03 AMBER ROCKS  
   

   
ORANGE is another rare color
Dice : MINT52 UNKNOWN CHINESE ROCK PAPER SCISSORS  Dice : MINT41 METALLIC DICE GAMES GLOW  Dice : MINT52 METALLIC DICE GAMES GLOW



It is also possible to have more than one glow color used on a die

Dice : MINT68 CHESSEX CHX 30005 FESTIVE DAHLIA  Dice : MINT54 LITTLECLUUS GLOW IN THE DARK RAINBOW SET  Dice : MINT74 Q WORKSHOP DIGITAL METAL CLASSIC GLOW 01  Dice : MINT68 CHESSEX CHX 30007 FESTIVE FLARE
   

   

There are a variety of die body MATERIALS that can be glow in the dark

Why WOOD is not one ... I do not know

PLASTICMETALSTONECLOTHPOLYMER
CLAY		RUBBER
Dice : MINT66 CLS CREATIONS EBAY SHERI CARL 01
3d Printed		 Dice : MINT56 XUZHOU BANGRUI INTERNATIONAL TRADE CO GLOW Dice : MINT68 NORSE FOUNDRY TRUSTONE GLOW GREEN Dice : FOAM2 ELAUR BIG GLOW 01 Dice : MINT23 D6 GAME DICE GLOW BLUE SURF Dice : MINT19 CALIFORNIA EXOTIC NOVELTIES GLOW IN THE DARK FLASHING PARTY DICE 01
Dice : MINT62 BESCON D100 01Dice : MINT74 Q WORKSHOP DIGITAL METAL GLOW 04 Dice : MINT68 NORSE FOUNDRY TRUSTONE GLOW AQUA
Dice : MINT74 Q WORKSHOP STONE BREAKERS OPAQUE GLOW 01 Dice : MINT74 Q WORKSHOP DIGITAL OPAQUE GLOW 01
Dice : MINT64 BESCON HALLOWEEN GLOW Dice : MINT74 Q WORKSHOP DIGITAL METAL GLOW 02 Dice : MINT23 D6 GAME DICE PINK CHIP COOKIES
Dice : MINT74 Q WORKSHOP ELVEN CLASSIC CLEAR GLOW 01 Dice : MINT58 BESCON GOLD PINK GLOW

   

     
LAYERED

Layered dice must be one of the most difficult to manufacture

First ... the layers depend on gravity ...
so the mold must be created to have a good orientation to accommodate layers

Next ... the different colors of the layers have to be considered ...
it must be a complicated process to prevent the incoming body material from mixing between color layers

---

Some dice are not intentionally layered ... such as celluloid
The layering in this case is part of the manufacturing process

Dice : MINT1 CELLULOID IVORY 03   Dice : MINT47 CELLULOID

---

Most layered dice are produced intentionally

PLASTICGLASSERASERMETAL
2-LAYER Dice : MINT68 GATE KEEPER GEN CON EXCLUSIVE 02 CONVERGENCE Dice : GLASS D6 PRIMITIVE
3-LAYER Dice : MINT68 GATE KEEPER GEN CON EXCLUSIVE 01 GENEVIEVES Dice : MINT52 CRYSTAL CASTE GREY CATS EYE FIBER OPTIC
4-LAYER Dice : MINT66 HENGDA HDL 02
5-LAYER Dice : MINT54 LITTLECLUUS GALAXY RAINBOW SET
6-LAYER Dice : MINT62 KRAKEN DICE 01 RAINBOW
7-LAYER Dice : MINT57 UNKNOWN CHINESE RAINBOW Dice : MINT22 RAINBOW ERASER
MANY LAYER Dice : MINT53 PRECISION GAMING SOLUTIONS XLP DICE PROTOTYPE DAMASCUS



In 2008 a manufacturer in China started making 3-layer dice
with pieces of fabric as the divider between the top and bottom layers

Dice : MINT19 UNKNOWN FIBER INSIDE 01

     

     
NEBULA (TM)

Nebula (TM) dice were first introduced by Chessex Manufacturing sometime before 2000

They are a specialized form of swirl dice having clear dice with a wisp of one or more colors
(like a galactic nebula)
through the mostly clear body

Nebula dice so far ... have only been made in plastic

Two (dual) color seems to be the limit of manufacturing

Although mixing Nebula with Iridescent ... Borealis ... Glitter ... Glow in the Dark ... has been done

<2000CHESSEX
 Dice : D20 CLEAR ROUNDED SWIRL CHESSEX NEBULA 03 Dice : D12 CLEAR ROUNDED SWIRL CHESSEX NEBULA 03 Dice : D10 CLEAR ROUNDED SWIRL CHESSEX NEBULA 04 Dice : D10 CLEAR ROUNDED SWIRL CHESSEX NEBULA 04
Dice : D8 CLEAR ROUNDED SWIRL CHESSEX NEBULA 03 Dice : NUMBERED CLEAR ROUNDED SWIRL CHESSEX NEBULA 03 Dice : D4 CLEAR ROUNDED SWIRL CHESSEX NEBULA 03
2015FIRST
CHINESE
COPY		 Dice : MINT39 UNKNOWN CHINESE NEBULA
2016BESCON
DUAL COLOR		 Dice : MINT54 BESCON NEBULA DUAL COLOR
2017CRITIT
DUAL COLOR
POLY SET		 Dice : MINT58 CRITIT SPIRIT OF THE PHOENIX
     

      
SPECKLED (tm)

Speckled or Spotted dice are my favorite of the color styles

They have been made by most of the major dice manufacturers over the years

Speckled (tm) dice were first sold by Chessex Manufacturing in 1993

I believe speckled dice to be the oldest intentional multi colored dice to be mass produced

DATE
MANUFACTURERSAMPLE PHOTO
1993 CHESSEX
First speckled polyhedrals		 Dice : Chessex Fire
1995TSR
Dragon Dice		 Dice : COLLECT 01
1995GAMESMITHS
Throwing Stones		 Dice : COLLECT GAMESMITHS THROWING STONES
1995
(July)		WHITE WOLF
Changeling the Dreaming		 Dice : D10 OPAQUE ROUNDED SPECKLED WW CHANGLING
1995MILTON BRADLEY
40TH EDITION YAHTZEE		 Dice : MINT24 MILTON BRADLEY 40TH ANNIVERSARY YAHTZEE 01
<1997THE ARMORY Dice : D10 OPAQUE ROUNDED SPECKLED WITH METAL 2
Silver Rose with red tip
2000WIZARDS OF THE COAST
Magic the Gathering: Beatdown
Dice : MINT12 MTG 01
2001KOPLOW GAMES






 Dice : D30 OPAQUE ROUNDED SPECKLED 1
2003 Dice : D20 OPAQUE ROUNDED SPECKLED KOPLOW 01 Dice : D12 OPAQUE ROUNDED SPECKLED KOPLOW 01 Dice : D10 OPAQUE ROUNDED SPECKLED KOPLOW 01
Dice : D8 OPAQUE ROUNDED SPECKLED KOPLOW 01 Dice : NUMBERED OPAQUE ROUNDED SPECKLED KOPLOW 01 Dice : D4 OPAQUE ROUNDED SPECKLED KOPLOW 01
2003CRYSTAL CASTE

First Stone Speckled		Dice : STONE D20 CC DINOSAUR BONE
2017NORSE FOUNDRY
Wondrous Dice

First Metal Speckled		 Dice : MINT57 NORSE FOUNDRY D20 WONDROUS COUNTDOWNS   Dice : MINT57 NORSE FOUNDRY D6 12MM WONDROUS
2018CRIT HIT CERAMICS

First Ceramic Speckled		 Dice : MINT62 CRIT HIT CERAMICS SANDSTONE
       

     
SWIRL

Swirl dice have been around since at least 2000 when Crystal Caste released their Ice Cream sets

Swirled plastic dice occur when two or more colors (or clear) of plastic are injected at the same time into a dice mold

CANDYCERAMICGLASSMETALPAPER
20152016
Dice : CANDY LUNAR WOLF TREATS CHOCOLATE 03 Dice : MINT49 CRIT HIT CERAMICS DARK CASTLE EXCLUSIVE Dice : LOOSE GLASS CREATIONS STAINED GLASS D20 01 Dice : MINT52 NORSE FOUNDRY FLOATING FACE GALACTIC CONQUEST Dice : PAPER D20 MY DESIGN FOR GENCON 2011 HAT COPY OF CHESSEX 2011 DESIGN 01
PLASTICPOLYMER CLAYSOAPSTONE
<2000
Dice : D20 OPAQUE ROUNDED SWIRL CRYSTAL CASTE ICECREAM Dice : NUMBERED OPAQUE ROUNDED SWIRL UNKNOWN FIMO 01 Dice : MINT44 LUXURY LANE SOAP Dice : MINT57 NORSE FOUNDRY MALACHITE

This can occur unintentionally when single color dice colors are switched without cleaning the molding machine ...
for a period of time afterward small amounts of the previous color will occur in the die

 Dice : D30 OPAQUE SHARP SOLID ARMORY 03

   


#-TONE

2-TONE / 3-TONE dice are those that have 2 or 3 distinct colors and are similar to SWIRL
but have clear delineations as opposed to irregular borders

METALMETALPLASTIC
2-TONE3-TONE2-TONE
Dice : MINT71 CHENGSHUO FANTASY LONG 194 Dice : MINT70 CHENGSHUO ITALIC SERIF 213 Dice : MINT50 GAMES WORKSHOP WARHAMMER GORK AND MORK RECOLOR



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