Themazi is a family company with a rich history in the production of oak gall, also known as Quercus Infectoria. Quercus, meaning beautiful tree, comes from the Celtic words "kaer" meaning beautiful and "quez" meaning tree. In the past, women who wanted to conceive would touch the galls on oak trees, believing it would increase their chances of becoming pregnant.
Oak gall is a spherical growth found on oak trees that is triggered when insects puncture tree branches and twigs to deposit their eggs. As they grow, they provide shelter and food to the larvae until they reach maturity and chew their way out. To preserve as much tannin as possible, galls are harvested before the insect becomes an adult and escapes.
At Themazi, we produce and collect oak gall every year in August and September in Turkey. Our oak galls come in two colors, green and brownish-white, and are very rich in tannin, with an approximate tannin content of 65-70%. We have all the necessary laboratory certifications to ensure the quality of our oak gall.
To produce tannin, oak gallnuts secrete an irritant in response to insect infestation, which triggers the growth of the spherical growths. Tannin has a great affinity with cellulose fiber, and when mordanted with tannin, alum combines well with the tannin-fiber complex. Oak gallnuts have long been used in the Middle East to make high-quality ink and for natural dyeing.
At Themazi, we offer three different forms of oak gall; whole, broken, and powder. Our oak gallnuts are inspected for quality, and we only offer the best products to our customers. We also indicate the tannin content of our green and white oak gallnuts on our website and social media accounts for transparency.
Oak gall is perfect for the pre-treatment of cellulosic vegetable fibers to enhance the fixation of the mordant during the mordanting process. It can be used to dye any fiber and increases the lightfastness of the resulting colors. In the presence of iron sulfate, oak gall forms very solid and very dark complexes.
Themazi makes it easy to buy oak gall from Turkey as wholesale. Our Aleppo oak gall is the richest in tannin and perfect for natural dyeing and chemistry. We are committed to providing the highest quality products to our customers and preserving the tradition of using oak gall in natural dyeing and ink making.