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Ink Review : Diamine Chopin (Music Collection) Pen : Lamy AL-star, M-nib Paper : Rhodia N°16 notepad 80 gsm Review Paris, winter of 1839 Winter... and I'm cold to the bone. The river Seine shines a dull grey, the leaden sky a blue-grey carpet of monotony. I feel really depressed, this atmosphere suffocates me with a feeling of despair. But this setting inspires my muse - I'll capture this dreary moment in the 4th prelude of my Opus 28. In 2015 Diamine released the Music Collection, a set of 10 subdued ink colours named after well-known composers. In this review, we take a look at Chopin. After the above introduction, you're sure to remember that this is a blue-grey ink. Diamine Chopin is a really nice blue-grey - I place it right in the middle between those two colours. The colour is subdued, and has a vintage feeling. It's a colour that really appeals to me, and one that can be used in all circumstances, both at work and for personal use. It's not a festive colour though - more an ink to use when you're in a serious mood. There is some subtle shading going on, which gives your writing extra character. Chopin exhibits good flow and performs well on a wide variety of paper. I really like this ink ! Rhodia N°16 notepad 80 gsm - drying time 15-20 seconds, no feathering, no show-through nor bleed-through.Paperblanks journal paper - drying time ~15 seconds, no feathering, no show-through and no bleed-through. Nice vintage look on this off-white paper.Generic notepad paper 70 gsm - drying time ~15 seconds, no feathering, a hint of show-through, no bleed-through.Moleskine journal - drying time ~5 seconds ! No feathering, significant show-through, minimal bleed-through. Impressive !Tomoe River paper - drying time ~25 seconds, no feathering, minimal show-through, no bleed-through.Original Crown Mill cotton paper - drying time 15-20 seconds, no feathering, no show-through nor bleed-through. Very nice vintage look.Impressive behaviour ! Even on the lower-quality paper. This is an ink you can use on the cheaper paper in the workplace. There is no avoiding comparison of this ink with Vivaldi, also from the Music Collection. Vivaldi is a purple-grey, and also a really nice ink. I like the colour of Chopin a bit better, but Vivaldi beats Chopin solidly on the water-resistance front. Chopin has almost zero water resistance - after water has touched the ink, the text remaining requires effort to decipher (there is a readable residue, but not what I would call easily readable text). Conclusion Diamine Chopin is a very vintage-y blue-grey colour that looks great in all nib sizes and on all types of paper. It behaves surprisingly well on cheaper paper, which is a big plus at the office. Chopin has an aesthetically pleasing colour that I enjoy very much. In my opinion, this is one of the better inks in the Music Collection. A pity though that the ink has really low water resistance. If you like greys and blues, this definitely is an ink to consider. I think you will like it ! my overall score: A

I'm currently reviewing some of my favourite Diamine inks. This is Chopin from the Diamine Music Gift set. I didn't think I would ever be able to afford to buy the Diamine Music Gift Set, so I was really pleased to find that Diamine now sell all of their Gift set inks in 30ml plastic refill bottles. To be honest, the glass bottles in the set are much nicer, but as the ink is exactly that same, it means that at least I can try some of them. Bearing in mind the paper I use is very smooth, this ink dries quickly.It flows less wet than some Diamine inks, but seems to lubricate the nib quite well. No start-up problems noticed. No skipping noticed.It is currently available as one of the gift set of 10 x 30ml glass bottles, or single 30ml plastic refill bottles. Neither of these has an inkwellWater test on the review form shows this isn't a waterproof ink. It washes off skin very easily.Diamine sell it directly to end-users on their web-site.It's reasonably priced.