Montblanc Dandy Turquoise (Honoré de Balzac Limited Edition)

[DrChumley]

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The ink is an absolute delight. The color is, as I mention in my handwriting sample above, truly stunning. It is more akin to an azure or light cerulean blue than an actual turquoise, and exhibits a great deal of depth. There really is no green in the color at all, as once might expect from a turquoise. In many ways, it reminds me of one of my other favorite inks, Iroshizuku Kon-Peki.

The ink behaves wonderfully. It feels nicely lubricated, dries relatively quickly, has a wonderful flow, and shades nicely. The sheen, which is a dark red/purple, is not as pronounced as some inks, but does help lend to the illusion of depth in the color. And it cleans quite easily. It is not particularly water-resistant.

I imagine that this ink would simply dazzle in a nice, juicy flex pen or even in a wide-nibbed calligraphy pen (rather like the 6mm Pilot Parallel I used to make the large #9 in the image above.) Even in a regular, everyday pen, I have had people comment on what a pretty ink color this is. Its jewel tones just tend to draw the eye, and it is a pleasing ink on white paper. I find it slightly less enjoyable on the off-white papers.

I really love this color. I love the ink’s performance. I love the mild sheen, and the shading. I love the depth in the ink. The only thing I don’t love? That this is a limited edition ink, and in a few months, it will be very difficult to come by. I have had this ink in at least one pen non-stop since purchasing the bottle, and I have already made plans to visit my local retailer to pick up several more bottles in the coming week before they run out.