Ink Review: J Herbin 1670 Emerald of Chivor

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Sorry if this is really stupid question (you'll get used to it if you talk to me for more than a minute or two), but how long does sheen last? I see ink going on the paper and it looks all shiny and pretty. Then it dries and it's suddenly a whole lot less vibrant. So... ?

[Chrissy]

Sorry if this is really stupid question (you'll get used to it if you talk to me for more than a minute or two), but how long does sheen last? I see ink going on the paper and it looks all shiny and pretty. Then it dries and it's suddenly a whole lot less vibrant. So... ?

The sheen doesn't disappear after it dries and it doesn't become less vibrant. It dries really quickly, quicker than any other inks I have tried recently,

[Chrissy]

I have at last managed to write out a review form and take some more photos showing the sheen. I hope you can see the sheen variation. Sorry for the delay.

J Herbin Emerald of Chivor_0007.JPGJ Herbin Emerald of Chivor_0008.JPG
J Herbin Emerald of Chivor_0011.JPGJ Herbin Emerald of Chivor_0004.JPGJ Herbin Emerald of Chivor_0005.JPGJ Herbin Emerald of Chivor_0006.JPG

[migo984]

Sorry if this is really stupid question (you'll get used to it if you talk to me for more than a minute or two), but how long does sheen last? I see ink going on the paper and it looks all shiny and pretty. Then it dries and it's suddenly a whole lot less vibrant. So... ?

Yes you're right Cryptos. Some sheen does fade - either immediately on drying, or after a period of time. But not all sheen does. BungBox Sweet Potato Purple actually increases its sheen over time. As is usual with inks, the reaction with the surface of the paper is a significant factor. As is the wetness and gauge of the nib. Some sheeny inks do well on absorbent paper - the ink component that sheens collects around (pools) at the edges of the ink that's put down. With others, the sheen disappears completely on absorbent paper - it 'soaks in', for want of a better expression. On papers that are highly smooth or with a surface coating (e.g Tomoe, Caledonian Smooth, > 65gsm professional tracing paper (like Casson)), the sheen is much longer lasting, as the inks sits on the surface of the paper.

It's not easy to predict which ink will respond in which way. That only comes with actually experiencing the various ink/pen/paper combos . And some people are much better at getting sheen out of an ink than others. Don't know why 😊

The sheen in all the 1670 (reformulated inks), with the added gold sparkles, is supplemented by the reflection of the gold. Stormy Grey sheen gradually fades, but that effect is hidden by the gold. Time will tell re the Emerald. It's probably too soon to judge. HTH.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Thanks, Migo, that did help... apart from the TLA at the end which I had to go and look up on the Internet of Everything! I'm such a klutz.

[migo984]

Thanks, Migo, that did help... apart from the TLA at the end which I had to go and look up on the Internet of Everything! I'm such a klutz.

I had to look up TLA! :-)

[naimitsu]

Thanks, Migo, that did help... apart from the TLA at the end which I had to go and look up on the Internet of Everything! I'm such a klutz.

I had to look up TLA! :-)

I had to look up both!
Then again, I rarely use acronyms and used to yell at my younger cousins for their pseudo-l33t speak on texts and IMs -.-;

[Laura N]

Chrissy was kind enough to send me a writing sample with this ink, and I have to say my mouth dropped open. This is absolutely the most sheeny, stunning ink. I think the paper is Tomoe River, which likely intensifies the effect, but it is striking. Even when the paper is held flat, you can see the red sheen. And if I hold it on angle at the window I can see the gold very clearly. It has great shading, as well.

I accidentally tested the water resistance, since I happened to have a few drops of water on my fingers and the ink smudged immediately. I think that augurs well for easy cleanup. As Chrissy says, it does stain the fingers a bit.

It's definitely a teal color, but I have to say, I don't really think it looks like Sailor Yama-dori, which I used to own. This ink is in a class of its own, with the shading, the red and the gold. In real life mine looks exactly like it does in Chrissy's post #23 above.

If you are a sheen person, I think you are going to love this ink, and I would seriously pre-order. I have owned all of the J. Herbin 1670s except the newest blue with sparkles, and this one surpasses even the original Rouge for "wow factor." I mean, I am not a sheen person, and my reaction still was OMG.

[Chrissy]

It is fabulous ink, even apart from the fabulous sheen and it's unusual shading, it has a luxurious writing feel to it.

I am advised that J Herbin are already inundated with orders for this ink. They believe it will be a bigger success than Stormy Grey, and that was a huge success!

So if you want a bottle I would recommend you act quickly when it comes out.

[Lancaster]

Looks like a great ink! Thanks for your thorough review!

[dannzeman]

This looks absolutely stunning! I'm so glad I'll have a bottle waiting for me at the DC Show.

[Chrissy]

This looks absolutely stunning! I'm so glad I'll have a bottle waiting for me at the DC Show.

I hope you will love it.

[Newjelan]

Thanks for the review. I have 2 bottles winging their way around the world to me right now. Can't wait!

[Chrissy]

Thanks for the review. I have 2 bottles winging their way around the world to me right now. Can't wait!

I hope they reach you safely, and that it's exactly what you hope it will be.

[Frantik]

Thanks for the review..It looks great.. I joined the massdrop(along with some 400 other people ) for this and 2 more bottles of J herbin.. can't wait to try it..

[Chrissy]

Thanks for the review..It looks great.. I joined the massdrop(along with some 400 other people ) for this and 2 more bottles of J herbin.. can't wait to try it..

Thanks. I hope you like it.

[Laura N]

Yikes, this is going to sound a little odd, but.... I got an email from an internet seller showing one photograph of the ink that I think could create a little bit of the wrong impression. The photo in the email was a large splat of the ink, photographed up close and at a dramatic angle. It's a cool photo and those choices by the photographer make it look insanely red, gold and green. Like a technicolor bird dropping.

I have to be honest, though: it didn't really look like THAT in the writing sample that Chrissy wrote with a normal pen. Don't get me wrong: it was fantastic and the sheeniest ink I've ever seen. It looked like it does in Chrissy's Post No. 23, which is gorgeous. It's just that you're not necessarily going to get the same level of drama with words on paper, written from a normal pen, as you see in photos of eyedropper splats.

[Chrissy]

If you used enough ink you could probably make a bird dropping splat like that, and even photograph it to good effect. I only did my small splats just to try to make sure I could see the gold in at least one photo. However, you're right, it's never going to look like that when you write with it.

The wetter the pen writes, the more effects you will see with this ink.

[Laura N]

Yes, and the photo in the email really was a cool photo. I can see why they used it. It's artistic and it must show the colors that are in the ink. I'm just saying the ink is probably not going to give that same effect if you write with it with a normal pen. But yes that's a good point: with a really wet and wide nib, and maybe you'll get closer.

I remember being a little disappointed myself with the grey one, because the close-up photos made it look very different than how it looked coming out of my pen. And yes I shook the pen. It's just that sometimes these really cool photos may create a different impression of what an ink looks like when you write with it in real life. That's why Chrissy's review here is really helpful, because that does use normal pens, and that is what it looked like to me in real life. Which is really great.

[Chrissy]

Both of the pens I used are fairly standard. I must admit I shy away from using sparkly inks in my piston fillers and those pens that aren't easy to clean.
Even with the 2 pens I used, the Pilot Custom 74 M nib wrote so much better with E of C than the Kaweco Skyline Sport did, because the former is a much wetter writer. In fact in the Kaweco it looked quite boring by comparison.