Diamine Shimmer Inks - First Impressions!

[The Good Captain]

Having had samples of some of these amazing inks since May, it has taken a lot self-control not to leak any images of them. So it was great to get the go-ahead from Diamine earlier this week, and we're allowed to put up some more detailed information on Friday 28th August, 2015.

That's TODAY!

Now, there have some changes over the last few months and some colours have been altered and decisions made about whether there should be gold or silver particles in any particular one but the people at Diamine did listen to those of us who passed comments and opinions and the resultant ten colours are the ones that will be on the shelves soon. I'm sure Chrissy and the others who've been looking at them, will do much better and in-depth reviews than I tend to do but there is a reason for my brevity.

That is that I believe all opinions about a particular ink (no pun intended) are subjective. There really isn't any way of communicating something link ink/paper/pen correlation on a computer screen. For all the best will in the world, monitor calibration; a person's eyesight and so on, have a vast impact on how someone might perceive an ink's qualities and characteristics.

So I don't tend to do that. My scanner and computer are pretty accurate in terms of colour reproduction but I just point out that the rest of you could quite possibly comment that the inks are different that the images I've uploaded. Well' that's just the way it is. We all know about the differences between nibs of the same make, width etc, not to mention paper batches, so all I want to show is a brief introduction to this new range of colours and let you all make up your own minds when you've tried them out.

The written examples were done with a Sailor Sapporo, Broad nib (that tends much more to a Western Medium) and on Rhodia 80gsm dot paper. There were no problems with the pen: nib; feed and converter all came out of the tests totally unscathed. I decided to use the Sailor and not my usual Safaris, to try to put those of you with doubts about using this type of ink in a 'good' pen, at ease. However I will say that as I don't soo my using this sort of 'effect' ink in the course of normal daily writing, I don't imagine using them in a piston-filling pen - purely for reason of volume and nothing to do with perceived value of that any writing instrument.

So take a look and ENJOY!






























Finally, these last two pics were sent from Diamine and are 'photos' rather than scans. They certainly give an idea how things might look with indirect lighting.






To sum up, these are a great lot of inks that can only go on to expand Diamine's involvement in the market place and it's nice to see the awareness of the necessary diversity, to stay up there at the top! Well done!

[migo984]

Thank you. I'm glad that you acknowledge the limitations of ink reviews.

I know many think this isn't a factor, but I consider it very important that reviewers make clear any association with manufacturers, such as receipt of free samples, for example. Properly stating the source is after all, just good practice. If a reviewer fails to do so I discount their reviews, as the review seems tainted & biased at worst, disingenuous at best. At least if a reviewer declares that association I can take that into account; future readers can also then make up their own minds about the extent of influence.

Free samples are de facto payment & I have seen too many reviews on forums and blogs that I consider, subconsciously or consciously, are influenced by their associations. Failing to state when an ink is sub par is just one example. After all, who would properly critique an ink if it possibly puts that association at risk.

Manufacturers are very crafty and realise that getting people to do reviews on the basis of free stuff is a very cheap way to generate publicity. Why keep a dog...............

[Bogon07]

Thank you for the quick review GoodCaptain.
Which ones in the range were standouts for you ?
Which ones were you least impressed with as well.

While I don't know if too many people would want to write whole letters in shimmery glittering ink they would be good for stand out headings or to highlight some information in the letter.

Oddly in my mind these inks seem made to match some of the pearlescent colours of Noodler's fountain pens.
Make you wonder if Nathan T is formulating any glittering inks for future release.
But knowing him I he would try a variation of the Non-metallic Metal paint effect used by some miniatures painter.

[Laura N]

I think inks like these are perfect for special occasions -- holiday cards, birthday cards, place cards, or even nice invitations. But I've also used the J. Herbin 1670 inks for a page in letters to pen pals, and I've received letters written with them. I have always enjoyed that.

I wouldn't use them for work. Any more than I would use orange ink, pink ink, light green ink or a whole range of colorful and beautiful inks that we all love.

I'm glad there are so many different inks for so many different uses.

Thank you for the post!

[musicman123]

Thanks so much for the preview! These inks would look lovely in a journal or pen pal letters!

I'm definitely lusting over the green, purple, and Blue Pearl. Herbin sure has some competition down the line. I wonder how big of a dent the release will cause in 1670's sales.

As a random question, how do I get manufacturers to get me to do reviews on their products? :P

[The Good Captain]

Thank you for the quick review GoodCaptain.
Which ones in the range were standouts for you ?
Which ones were you least impressed with as well.

While I don't know if too many people would want to write whole letters in shimmery glittering ink they would be good for stand out headings or to highlight some information in the letter.

Oddly in my mind these inks seem made to match some of the pearlescent colours of Noodler's fountain pens.
Make you wonder if Nathan T is formulating any glittering inks for future release.
But knowing him I he would try a variation of the Non-metallic Metal paint effect used by some miniatures painter.

I love the Shimmering Seas, Blue Pearl and Night Sky the best - they are just my sort-of colours! Golden Sands is just too pale overall. I can see a topical but limited use for them - cards or 'special' stuff - but of course, that's just my own personal view. A lot of people like this sort of thing and I suspect that Diamine felt it was time to enter that part of the market.

[Chrissy]

Thank you for your first impressions. I was interested to see which ones were your favourites, and which you were less impressed with.

My favourites have changed since I started the reviews. Now my stand out favourite is Brandy Dazzle, as my sample has the most fabulous sheen. Close runners up are Blue Lightning, Purple Pazzazz, and Shimmering Seas.

I am slightly less impressed with Night Sky because I think some users will say it isn't black, it's dark grey, and Shimmering Shadows is also grey. I also sometimes find it hard to get a sheen with Golden Sands.

[The Good Captain]

Thank you for your first impressions. I was interested to see which ones were your favourites, and which you were less impressed with.

My favourites have changed since I started the reviews. Now my stand out favourite is Brandy Dazzle, as my sample has the most fabulous sheen. Close runners up are Blue Lightning, Purple Pazzazz, and Shimmering Seas.

I am slightly less impressed with Night Sky because I think some users will say it isn't black, it's dark grey, and Shimmering Shadows is also grey. I also sometimes find it hard to get a sheen with Golden Sands.

Your revuews are as spectacular as always. Please accept this comment to encompass all of them!