15 Turquoise And Beachy Blue Inks

[bstnnyc]

I don’t know if it’s the warm and sunny weather that just hit the northeast after a cold spell, but, more than ever, I’m not ready for summer to end! So to keep the summery vibe going, I thought why not do a comparison of turquoise and “beachy blue" inks.

This is by no means a comprehensive review, because I’m missing some great turquoise inks, such as Sheaffer and Lamy Turquoise, but I saw a post come up on the boards with questions about turquoises, so I wanted to share samples of the ones I have. The 15 inks tested are: Caran d’Ache Turquoise, Omas Turquoise, Rohrer & Klingner Blu Mare, J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche, Pilot Iroshizuku Ama-Iro, Waterman Inspired Blue, Pelikan Turquoise, Montblanc Honore de Balzac Dandy Turquoise, Diamine Aqua Blue, Visconti Turquoise, Pelikan Edelstein Topaz, Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki, Diamine Asa Blue, Diamine Florida Blue and Diamine Mediterranean Blue.

The writing samples were done using a 1950s 146 and a Pilot Custom 74 B nib ground down to a smooth stub by Mike Masuyama. All samples were tested on Rhodia paper.

 

 

 

Ink Swabs:

 

 

Ink on Paper Towel:

 

 

Top Row: Caran d’Ache Turquoise, Omas Turquoise, Rohrer & Klingner Blu Mare, J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche, Pilot Iroshizuku Ama-Iro, Waterman Inspired Blue, Pelikan Turquoise

Bottom Row: Montblanc Honore de Balzac Dandy Turquoise, Diamine Aqua Blue, Visconti Turquoise, Pelikan Edelstein Topaz, Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki, Diamine Asa Blue, Diamine Florida Blue and Diamine Mediterranean Blue

 

Best Flow and Smoothness: J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche

Bleu Pervenche wins hands down for me in this category and is miles ahead of every other ink in this review. With that said, although it has an excellent flow, l wish Bleu Pervenche felt a little smoother (to match the smoothness of my favorite inks). However, this is the only turquoise with a regular spot in my ink rotation.

Best Turquoise Color: Rohrer & Klingner Blu Mare

 

This is by far my favorite shade of turquoise. It offers a nice mix of blue and green that leans more towards the blue side (which I prefer). In a wet nib, it is the most vibrant of the turquoise inks tested - so vibrant in fact that it makes me want to pull out a pair of sunglasses . The ink has a good flow (though not as high as Bleu Pervenche) but is missing the high level of smoothness I look for in a go-to ink. However, I love the color so much that I did get a bottle.

Best Beachy Blue Color: Pilot Iroshizuku Ama-Iro and Diamine Florida Blue (Tie)

I love the color of both of these inks, but I do not own bottles of either.

I consider Ama-Iro to a "beachy blue" rather than a turquoise because it needs a little more green to be a true turquoise. I really love its bright, light blue color, which screams summer fun, but didn't enjoy the feeling of writing with the ink enough in the flexy 146 to buy a full bottle especially given its higher price point. I should note that I may have been especially tough on Ama-Iro because I was expecting a higher level of smoothness from an Iroshizuku ink.

Florida Blue and Mediterranean Blue are close enough in color that someone looking to keep their ink spending to a minimum wouldn't need to own both. Florida Blue has a better flow, and, since I like wetter inks, I wouldn't think twice about using it over Mediterranean Blue. (Mediterranean blue is not a dry ink but someone looking for less wetness might prefer it; it is also a little lighter and exhibits slightly more shading than its Floridian counterpart.)

Highest Sheening Ink (on Rhodia): Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki

Kon-Peki is not a monster sheener on Rhodia (like some of the Sailor inks I’ve recently tried) but still offers a subtle and beautiful pink shimmering halo around its blue letters. Some posts have asked how it compares to Edelstein Topaz and, as others have noted, both inks are similar in that they are cerulean blues with pink sheen. (I've noticed that Topaz sheens tremendously on Tomoe River Paper, but in this comparison it barely showed any sheen around the letters.) If I had to choose only one of the two inks, it would be Kon-Peki. The color is brighter and the ink has a better flow.

Lowest Performer: Caran d’Ache Turquoise

I really did not like this ink and was expecting more from a $30+ ink. It was so thin that it took the fun out of writing with my favorite pen (and I almost stopped the review to change writers).

Other notable mentions:

Light Turquoise: Visconti and Omas Turquoise (tie)

 

Both inks are on the lighter end of the turquoise spectrum and could be a good option for someone looking for such a shade. I prefer the flow of the Omas but like the color of the Visconti better. (I would have liked for the Visconti to perform more like its brother ink, Visconti Blue, which offers a smoother writing experience.)

Dark Beachy Blue: Diamine Asa Blue

 

Asa Blue is a beautiful and interesting color in that it is paradoxically both dark and beachy. It has a good flow but an ok smoothness.

Montblanc Dandy Turquoise Alternative: Pelikan Turquoise

 

 

I love this shade of turquoise and have found that with the right pen and paper combination it can offer wonderful color variation. (I've noticed much more color variation using a Visconti HS.) For anyone who was not able to get a bottle during its limited run, I think that Pelikan Turquoise is a pretty close alternative.

[SujiCorp12345]

Cool, thanks for the comparison. These kinds of blues are my favourite!

[lgsoltek]

I've just received my bottle of Blu Mare today. I tried it a bit. It's a nice colour, but I'm still waiting for it to grow on me.

[visvamitra]

That's great Thanmk you.

[alarickc]

I love these colors! Dandy turquoise is my favorite. It's just, magic, just really something else. The Pelikan is close, but it seems to lack that pizzaz. I'm certainly glad I snagged three bottles.

[EclecticCollector]

This is great, I've been trying to find a favorite turquoise and you've just saved me considerable time! However I find it interesting that my own experience with Mediterranean Blue has it being slightly darker than Florida Blue, though they are close. Good to know also that Pelikan Turquoise is a good replacement for Montblanc Balzac, as I was only able to obtain one bottle before it sold out.

[Diderot]

Detailed and informative review.

Thanks

[penswordnoassemblyrequired]

Thank you.

I was going to get the Asa Blue but got Sailor Yamadori instead. Its is quite wet with my M nib and does live up to its name, Copper Pheasant, because there is a copper sheen to it.

[bstnnyc]

  On 9/28/2014 at 6:15 AM, SujiCorp12345 said:

Cool, thanks for the comparison. These kinds of blues are my favourite!

You’re welcome SujiCorp12345! I loves these blues too; I turn to them when I’m feeling blue The weather here has flip flopped 180’ today, so I’ve switched to Bleu Pervenche to make up for it and I feel like I'm back on the beach

 

  On 9/28/2014 at 8:27 AM, lgsoltek said:

I've just received my bottle of Blu Mare today. I tried it a bit. It's a nice colour, but I'm still waiting for it to grow on me.

Hi Igsoltek, I had the same experience when I first got it! I tested it with a pen I use for my first round of ink testing and I thought the color was just ok so the sample vial sat unused in my drawer for 2 months. And then for some reason I was going through my old samples and decided to try it in a wetter pen and I couldn’t believe how bright and rich it was, so I ordered a bottle. I've also noticed that paper color makes an especially big difference with this ink; I love it on bright white Rhodia, but when I tested it on a number of beautiful Japanese paper brands that are not bright white, it just looked flat to me. I would love to hear what you think as you continue to test it.

 

  On 9/28/2014 at 8:39 AM, visvamitra said:

That's great Thanmk you.

Thank you! You’re welcome visvamitra

 

  On 9/29/2014 at 6:10 AM, alarickc said:

I love these colors! Dandy turquoise is my favorite. It's just, magic, just really something else. The Pelikan is close, but it seems to lack that pizzaz. I'm certainly glad I snagged three bottles.

Dandy turquoise is one of my favorites too alarickc! (My second favorite turquoise color after Blu Mare). Magic is the perfect way to describe it; the variation I get in some pens proves how complex it is. PS that’s wonderful that you got 3 bottles! I found 2 so I'm keeping the second one on file. I really think Montblanc should have added it to the permanent lineup.

 

  On 9/29/2014 at 6:37 AM, EclecticCollector said:

This is great, I've been trying to find a favorite turquoise and you've just saved me considerable time! However I find it interesting that my own experience with Mediterranean Blue has it being slightly darker than Florida Blue, though they are close. Good to know also that Pelikan Turquoise is a good replacement for Montblanc Balzac, as I was only able to obtain one bottle before it sold out.

HI EclecticCollector, Thank you! I’m happy the post helped. Which color turquoise is your favorite? That is interesting about Mediterranean and Florida Blue. Maybe the sample I got of Mediterranean Blue was a little lighter than it should be because it comes out lighter in all of my pens.

 

  On 9/29/2014 at 10:14 AM, Diderot said:

Detailed and informative review.

Thanks

Thank you Diderot!

 

  On 9/29/2014 at 11:13 AM, penswordnoassemblyrequired said:

Thank you.

I was going to get the Asa Blue but got Sailor Yamadori instead. Its is quite wet with my M nib and does live up to its name, Copper Pheasant, because there is a copper sheen to it.

You’re welcome penswordnoassemblyrequired. I think you made the right choice with Yama Dori. I know they are two very different colors, but I tried Yama Dori last week for the first time and it’s one of those inks that just mesmerizes you. The sheen is spectacular and although I usually dislike teals, I thought the color was beautiful! I am falling in love with these Sailor inks....

[lgsoltek]

Blu Mare written with a dip pen and a Preppy... I can't believe they are the same ink...

[bstnnyc]

  On 9/30/2014 at 5:41 AM, lgsoltek said:

Blu Mare written with a dip pen and a Preppy... I can't believe they are the same ink...

IMG_6346.JPG

It's crazy how much the wetness of the pen or in this case of the dip pen affects Blu Mare; I've started to only use it in my wettest writers because in them it just lights up the page PS Thank you for adding the comparison image! I think it's really helpful to see the extreme difference the pen can make with this ink

[Morbus Curiositas]

Very nice work again

 

Hte summe in Europe was very wet.... I therefor shot Pluvius wiht a staple gun... It helped it is sunny now

 

I yesterday published a rview of DA Document CMYK inks... A permanent Turquoise is in there

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/275148-de-atramentis-document-cmyk-inks-mixing-experiment/?do=findComment&comment=3134109

 

 

Amberlea posted an exensive review of this Turquoise too..

 

Do not worry about shooting Pluvius.... I only used a staple gun.... He will surive that.... No worries about Europe turning in to a desert soon

 

Thanks again and your reviews will always receive a warm (sunny ) welcome here

[dragos.mocanu]

Wow, another beautiful comparison, thank you! I only have Pelikan 4001 Turquoise, and I really like it; it's the only shade of blue I like

[manolo]

Thank you for the comparison. Turquoise is a color I use very often in the last months.

 

To my eye, most of the inks shown are so similar that I see no point in buying more than 1-2 of them. In fact, I have Waterman, Pelikan and Diamine Havasu at home. Waterman and Pelikan are quite similar, well-bahaved, easy to find, not expensive (specially the Waterman), the Diamine Havasu being a little different but not much. Asa Blue has called my attention, but maybe because it is somewhat different than all the others.

 

For me, Waterman South Seas Blue is the winner (yes, I like the old name). I must try to mix it with different amounts of Waterman Florida blue to gert different shades of turquoise.

[amberleadavis]

This is FAB!!! Thank you.

[stevesurf]

One can never have enough turquoise

 

[amberleadavis]

Makes sense to me!

[Davros]

This is great. I have to say, Asa Blue is one of those inks I just keep coming back to.

[HalloweenHJB]

Best Turquoise Color: Rohrer & Klingner Blu Mare

 

This is by far my favorite shade of turquoise. It offers a nice mix of blue and green that leans more towards the blue side (which I prefer). In a wet nib, it is the most vibrant of the turquoise inks tested - so vibrant in fact that it makes me want to pull out a pair of sunglasses . The ink has a good flow (though not as high as Bleu Pervenche) but is missing the high level of smoothness I look for in a go-to ink. However, I love the color so much that I did get a bottle.

_____________________

What a great review! Very thorough and highly informative. THANK YOU!

I don't know if you have ever tried Waterman South Seas Blue, but I did my own comparison at home with all my blue inks, and I discovered that the Waterman really stood out as a beauty for me. You might like it!

[Sailor Kenshin]

Oooooooo shiiiinnnnyyyyy! Wonderful comparison of some favorite hues. Great handwriting, too.