Posts filed under Ink Reviews

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 9

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Every Christmas when I was growing up, my mom would fill a big bowl with unshelled mixed nuts--Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, and almonds. We had this metal hinged nut cracker that was appallingly bad at cracking nuts. But that was part of the fun: conquering the shell and getting to the yummy meat of the nut.

Today’s ink is called Nutcracker. It’s a rich, deep chestnut brown with good shading and a bit of green sheen, even though it’s a standard ink.

Nutcracker is a darker shade of brown than Triple Chocolaté from a few days ago. And it has a slight reddish cast to it whereas Triple Chocolaté leaned more toward the yellow-brown spectrum. Nutcracker is a satisfying brown, especially in broader nibs and in flex nibs because of the shading.

Nutcracker’s shade reminds me most of those huge Brazil nuts in the Christmas nut bowl. I haven’t eaten a Brazil nut since I was a teenager living at home. Maybe I should reignite the tradition this year. I inherited the pitiful metal nutcracker, so why not let the family enjoy the challenge of cracking nuts and pinching their fingers? Fa la la la la!

(Cult Pens provided the Diamine Inkvent Calendar to Pen Addict free of charge for review purposes.)


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Posted on December 9, 2019 and filed under Diamine, Inkvent, Ink Reviews.

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 8

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Do you remember watching the Rankin/Bass version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? I still love that old classic, because when I was a kid, the only Christmas specials were Rudolph and A Charlie Brown Christmas. So, it’s not Christmas if I don’t hear Burl Ives singing “Silver and Gold.”

And gold is what’s behind door 8 in the Diamine Inkvent Calendar. The ink is called “Gold Star” and it’s a bright yellow/gold shimmer ink with some orange-y sheen along the edges of letters (if you use a flex nib) and in the ink splats.

I love how bright this ink is. It’s a true yellow and it shows up well even when writing with fine nibs. The shimmer isn’t all that noticeable (and, believe me, I shook the bottle well before every ink test), but the color is so bright it doesn’t really need shimmer to make it glow.

Yellow inks are difficult to get right. Either they are too unsaturated to use for writing or they look more orange than yellow. Gold Star is perfect. It is a brilliant yellow that has the added bonus of shimmer. This would be a great choice for addressing Holiday cards because yellow is an unusual and eye-catching color--your cards will stand out from the crowd! And, of course, this ink can create some terrific stars, angel wings, Hanukkah coins, and menorahs.

(Cult Pens provided the Diamine Inkvent Calendar to Pen Addict free of charge for review purposes.)


Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on December 8, 2019 and filed under Diamine, Inkvent, Ink Reviews.

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 7

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Happy Day 7 of Inkvent! I hope you’re enjoying Pen Addict’s daily reveal of these Diamine inks. Today’s ink might just make you want to snuggle close to that special someone.

Behind door 7 is Mistletoe. Pucker up everyone! Mistletoe is a standard green ink that definitely captures the color of the plant (well, it’s actually a parasite that attaches itself to our Arizona Ash tree, but still). The ink is a lovely green with excellent shading and a tiny bit of red sheen.

The ink performs well in all nib sizes. Once again, my photos of the ink on the Rhodia paper are a bit washed out. The ink’s color is closer to what you see on the Col-o-ring Card samples.

I really like Mistletoe. It’s not a showy color, but the deep sage tones and subtle shading make it a great choice for writing and maybe painting a few Christmas trees on cards. And, if you don’t have any real mistletoe handy, you can just dangle the little ink bottle above someone’s head and grab yourself a sweet holiday kiss.

(Cult Pens provided the Diamine Inkvent Calendar to Pen Addict free of charge for review purposes.)


Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on December 7, 2019 and filed under Diamine, Inkvent, Ink Reviews.