The ink reviews are back! I hope you like sheening inks, because you're going to be seeing a lot of them...
This review should have been done last week, but technical issues occurred, including but not limited to:
Nearly breaking a TWSBI pen when trying to remove the nib.
Jamming a Franklin-Christoph with De
Atramentis Columbia Blue shimmer.
Dyeing my hands with lots of pretty colours while wrestling with ink vials.
Nearly destroying another review by spilling the ink I was meant to be reviewing - the Columbia Blue again. It is gorgeous, but I hate that stuff...
Please, bear with me, as I never expected to be doing so many ink reviews and thus never prepared for it!
My kit, at the moment, consists of a metal dip pen (remember the one I did a nib grind on? I'm using that), Tools to Liveby paper because it takes all inks very well, and cotton buds to create ink swatches. I hope to invest in a glass dip pen or a dedicated ink testing pen with a broad nib and a syringe to make filling from those tiny vials easier, and some ink swatch cards. My ink reviews could be better - I don't go as in depth as the Mountain of Ink blog does, for example - and I should probably test the inks across a range of papers, but I just don't have the time right now and I don't want to have a pile of ten notebooks used for ink testing only. I'm hoping that in the future I'll have the resources to set up an ink testing system, or maybe I'll just solely focus on other items.
We shall see!
Now, for the review you all came to read...
Diamine Bilberry is a dark blue ink with copper sheen, and it is almost that perfect shade of dark blue that I am always looking for but can never seem to find. It leans a little towards the purple side, and it is very pretty just on its own.
However, it contains a bright, shiny copper sheen that makes it even more beautiful. It compliments the blue perfectly, and is well-distributed throughout the ink flow so every letter glistens.
Look at it front-on, and you will hardly notice the sheen at all, but when you tilt the paper the writing glows...
It is rather hard to photograph!
There is shading, though it is difficult to capture in a photo. It has the classic Diamine balance of not-too-wet, not-too-dry, and doesn't have a tendency to feather or bleed. Drying time is quite quick, about ten to fifteen seconds, and the sheen won't budge after it is completely dry.
I'd add this ink to my personal collection as it dries quickly enough to be a regular-use ink, and the sheen really makes your words pop. Diamine haven't let me down with this ink, and I don't think they ever will. All the Diamine inks I have ever tried have been fabulous, such a range of colours and effects. Bilberry is a must-buy for anybody who loves blue!