Does shimmer fade with age?

[FredRydr]

I bought two of Diamine's shimmer inks when they were first introduced years ago, intending to use it once a year for Christmas cards: Red Luster with gold shimmer and Magical Forest with silver shimmer.

Yesterday I filled a Pelikan M400 and an M250 from the two well-shaken bottles, and the shimmer isn't as it was. I recall noticing this regression the last couple of Christmases, and now Magical Forest hardly shimmers at all.

Has anyone else seen this with Diamine shimmer inks?

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[INeedAFinancialAdvisor]

I don’t own any shimmer inks
But i find this interesting… since isn’t the shimmer actual physical particles that are reflective?…

Weird.
It’ll be interesting to see what others say.

[Yazeh]

I have to check my bottle. Where there any specs left at the bottom of the bottle?

[TSherbs]

I wonder if the earlier pen fills had a lot of shimmer in them (for whatever reason) and there is just not as much left in the bottle now. But could some be dissolving or breaking down?? I don't know...just make sure that you are actually getting it off the bottom when you shake it now. Curious tho....

[FredRydr]

I make sure all particulate is shaken from the bottom and in suspension.

The bottles are as old as the first year of Diamine shimmer inks, whenever that was. I wonder if the shimmer material simply loses its “shimmerness” over time.

[manoeuver]

it might be dissolving.

[Yazeh]

I make sure all particulate is shaken from the bottom and in suspension.

The bottles are as old as the first year of Diamine shimmer inks, whenever that was. I wonder if the shimmer material simply loses its “shimmerness” over time.

Shaken, not stirred
I checked mine. I have the Shimmering seas. There's a lot of gold in the bottom. I haven't written with it in a longtime. But I can do a little shaking and write a sample writing with a dip pen. Would it help?

[FredRydr]

Thank you. The gold in Red Lustre does appear, although not as shimmery* as it once was, but the silver in Magical Forest hardly rates a description of shimmer anymore. Therefore, a control ink would be one of a known age containing the silver-colored particulate.

Edited to add: Come to think of it, I will buy a fresh bottle to compare!

*Apologies for the invented grammar.

[Jon Szanto]

it might be dissolving.

... or, possibly, something akin to 'tarnishing' of the shiny surfaces of the glitter bits, turning them more dull and less reflective.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Not at all a fan or user of glitter inks, but this seems like a weird problem. So I'm curious.

[Jon Szanto]

Philosophically, I feel like I should answer Fred's original question with "What doesn't?"

[DrPenfection]

Philosophically, I feel like I should answer Fred's original question with "What doesn't?"

and I agree with your earlier thought - perhaps it is more tarnish than anything.

I rarely use glitter inks. In fact, I don't have one bottle - just a few samples. I think I will stick to samples.

In fact, I would suggest the OP contact either ink manufacturers or perhaps one of the many online retailers and ask them about it.

[TSherbs]

Tarnish is an interesting idea, indeed.

[Chrissy]

I don't know if the shimmer particles might "change" somehow over a long period of time, and that seems unlikely, but in some of my bottles there weren't many in the bottom of the bottles to start with. Therefore every time the bottle is shaken and used there will be fewer and fewer particles in the ink suspension when a pen is filled. If there are fewer shimmer particles in the converter fill of ink then it stands to reason the writing won't shimmer as much as it did originally. Maybe that's what you are seeing Fred? Otherwise I confess to not knowing but I have difficulty in imagining that microscopic shimmer particles in ink suspension can somehow tarnish.

[FredRydr]

I shake each bottle until all is in suspension, leaving no particulate on the bottom. Before the particulate starts to re-settle, I draw an M400 piston-fill which is more than enough ink. Unused ink in the pen barrel is disposed of and never returned to the bottle. This occurs once a year. The bottle is returned to its box and stored with my other ink in a dark closet. Under this scenario, the ratio of liquid to particulate will always remain the same until the bottle is empty (if I live that long).

Chrissy, do you have any idea when Diamine started their shimmer inks? If you still maintain your contacts at Diamine, you might ask them about this. (Let me know if they conclude I'm "seeing things" or need new eyeglasses.)

[Yazeh]

Diamine Shimmer Seas /Emeraude de Chivor....

One year, I used Rouge Hematite for Christmas card. Nice sheen and well behaved.....
Note my bottles are almost full. I'll see if I get around dong a writing sample...
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[Chrissy]

I shake each bottle until all is in suspension, leaving no particulate on the bottom. Before the particulate starts to re-settle, I draw an M400 piston-fill which is more than enough ink. Unused ink in the pen barrel is disposed of and never returned to the bottle. This occurs once a year. The bottle is returned to its box and stored with my other ink in a dark closet. Under this scenario, the ratio of liquid to particulate will always remain the same until the bottle is empty (if I live that long).

Chrissy, do you have any idea when Diamine started their shimmer inks? If you still maintain your contacts at Diamine, you might ask them about this. (Let me know if they conclude I'm "seeing things" or need new eyeglasses.)

I use my shimmer inks in the same way but not usually in a piston filler. It might still be possible to sometimes suck up more particles when filling and therefore end up with fewer particles per ink amount remaining in the bottle. It would depend on how many particles were susp[ended in the part of the bottle you were filling from at any one fill.
The first Diamine shimmer inks known as "Shimmertastic" for a while were launched in 2015. I will ask Diamine if it's possible for the particles to loose some of their ability to shimmer.

[Yazeh]

I did a sample writing with a stub calligraphy dip nib:
Shimmering Seas was from the beginning quite sparing with its shimmer, and unless you tilt your paper you won't see it. But I could discern some gold shimmer
even in the faintest lines....

Scan:

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Photo daylight

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Alternatively you can buy some liquid shimmer and add it to your inks

[FredRydr]

Liquid shimmer?

[TSherbs]

This makes me want to get out my Emerald of Chivor. Haven't used it in a year, probably.