What Is A Must Have Shimmer Ink

[The-Thinker]

What is a must have shimmer ink in your opinion that has the most color variation, character and safe

[A Smug Dill]

What do you mean by safe? Shimmer inks, being one type of ink that has insoluble particles in suspension, all have the potential to clog up some component of a fountain pen (particularly the feed) if allowed to evaporate, condense or even dry inside the pen. If you want low maintenance, or low risk with pens you consider more valuable to you than the writing experience and/or product on the page, then don't use shimmer inks in those pens (or at all).

I've left Diamine Shimmering Seas in my Sailor Lecoule Morion (with a relatively narrow Medium Fine nib, which is the only nib option for that model of) pen for more than five months, and it hasn't caused any ill-effects that I've noticed; it was ready to write every time as soon as it was uncapped, and there was still some shimmer observable in the lines it put down after all that time.

I've left a 'modern' Aurora 88 filled with J.Herbin Améthyste de l'Oural for seven months; and, again, I didn't observe any problems: clogging, hard-starts, etc.

Is that "safe" enough? Put either of those inks in a different $50 or $500 pen, and the results could well be different.

Throwing "safe" aside...

J.Herbin Émeraude de Chivor is probably the iconic shimmer ink that anyone with an interest in putting shimmer inks in their pens "ought to" try, if only to know why it's one of the most talked about shimmer inks on the mark, and form his/her own opinion on it. There are plenty of reviews of that ink online, where you can get some idea of its "colour variation" and "character". That's not a recommendation of it being the best-buy or objective quality, by the way, any more than saying everyone with an interest in Lamy pens, Bauhaus design and/or piston-fillers "ought to" try a Lamy 2000 (and get rid of it, or at least stop using it, if it then proves not to be to one's tastes).

[tamiya]

 

J.Herbin Émeraude de Chivor is probably the iconic shimmer ink that anyone with an interest in putting shimmer inks in their pens "ought to" try, if only to know why it's one of the most talked about shimmer inks on the mark...

nay, it's Rouge Haematite I say...!

 

Meh it's all the same, JH 1670 were the first on the scene... the Red & Green are the 2 most striking imho whereas the grey, blue, brown ain't that eyeball searing. Choose whichever colour you prefer.

 

Year later Diamine brought out Shimmertastic but I've lost interest by then.

[A Smug Dill]

I actually don't like shimmer inks that try to be too spectacular with shading, sheen and shimmer all at the same time, so J.Herbin Émeraude de Chivor is far from my favourite.

 

I like Diamine Shimmering Seas and Arabian Nights — intense dark colours with silver shimmer — far more than their red, orange and golden-brown kin. I recently got a bottle a Colorverse Cat, and only inked a pen up and wrote two lines with it so far, but it's quite nice.

[MHBru]

Ive tried a few but like the blues... Herbin kyanite du nepal is really nice

[Misfit]

Jacques Herbin 1798 Amethyste de L’Oural is another lovely Herbin shimmer ink. Diamine Brandy Dazzle is one I liked for the name, then the color.

[tamiya]

My problem is... I've got a bunch of these Pentel Hybrid Dual Metallic gelballs

 

 

and they're so strikingly vivid they make JH 1670 look dull heck they write over black too.

[inkstainedruth]

@ The-Thinker:

What's a must have shimmer ink? One that has a base color that you like and one that works well in a pen you have without clogging and is easy to clean.

For the first criterion, a lot of people really like Emeralds of Chivor -- but I don't like the base ink color. OTOH, I bought a full bottle of Stormy Grey based solely on a written exemplar I'd seen of the ink at a table at DCSS that year, and didn't bother to get a sample first. I didn't think I'd like the original formula of Rouge Hematite (with the big flakes of gold) but it turned out to be more of a brick red than a blood red for the ink itself. That pen goes into a cheap Chinese pen with a fude nib. It doesn't get much use as an ink, but is very nice for calligraphy.

For the second criterion, I have a 1980s era Pelikan M100 with a 1 mm stub nib that does well with most of the "regular" shimmer inks (I would NOT, for instance, put any shimmer ink in one of my Parker 61s with the capillary fillers... ).

So pick a shimmer ink that's a color you like to begin with and has the shimmer particles in a color you like. Read the reviews here or online to see how the ink behaves, then try a sample and see how the ink does in the desired pen (and that *includes* how easy it is to flush out).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: One thing to remember about *any* shimmer ink is that the particles are likely to go out of suspension. So you will have to shake the (closed) bottle or sample vial up every time you use it; and often will have to agitate or roll the pen around every now and then when you use it. The only one I think might not need that agitation is Nemosine Snowball Nebula (which has smaller shimmer particles) -- but that ink is likely no longer available, since Nemosine is going out of business.

Edited January 17, 2020 by inkstainedruth

[lapis]

The inks I love most have zero shimmer. If any ink does (like most versions of the 1670s), I let them lie around peacefully in their bottles for a long while before opening with as little movement as possible (no longer having access to the centrifuges).

[ENewton]

I like Amethyste de l'Oural very much and would say it has character; it is dark and elegant with a subtle shimmer, in contrast with certain other inks--shimmering or not--that, to my mind, are overloaded with special effects.

 

As for safety, although I would not use any shimmer ink in a vintage pen, I suspect that Amethyste would require little special care in any pen with a converter.

 

What I don't understand about the original question is what is meant by "the most color variation." If the poster is looking for an ink that, in addition to shimmer, has sheen or that separates into multiple constituent colors under everyday writing conditions, I don't think Amethyste satisfies that requirement.

[sombrueil]

I have almost all vintage pens so shimmer is right out for me. I tried Emeraud de Chivor and couldn't get it to shimmer in my fine nibs. It also clogged and dried. Without the shimmer it is a flat boring teal. That was my one and only effort in that direction. Now if you want to talk *shading* that's a party I will bring drinks to.

[The-Thinker]

What do you mean by safe? Shimmer inks, being one type of ink that has insoluble particles in suspension, all have the potential to clog up some component of a fountain pen (particularly the feed) if allowed to evaporate, condense or even dry inside the pen. If you want low maintenance, or low risk with pens you consider more valuable to you than the writing experience and/or product on the page, then don't use shimmer inks in those pens (or at all).

 

I've left Diamine Shimmering Seas in my Sailor Lecoule Morion (with a relatively narrow Medium Fine nib, which is the only nib option for that model of) pen for more than five months, and it hasn't caused any ill-effects that I've noticed; it was ready to write every time as soon as it was uncapped, and there was still some shimmer observable in the lines it put down after all that time.

 

I've left a 'modern' Aurora 88 filled with J.Herbin Améthyste de l'Oural for seven months; and, again, I didn't observe any problems: clogging, hard-starts, etc.

 

Is that "safe" enough? Put either of those inks in a different $50 or $500 pen, and the results could well be different.

 

Throwing "safe" aside...

 

J.Herbin Émeraude de Chivor is probably the iconic shimmer ink that anyone with an interest in putting shimmer inks in their pens "ought to" try, if only to know why it's one of the most talked about shimmer inks on the mark, and form his/her own opinion on it. There are plenty of reviews of that ink online, where you can get some idea of its "colour variation" and "character". That's not a recommendation of it being the best-buy or objective quality, by the way, any more than saying everyone with an interest in Lamy pens, Bauhaus design and/or piston-fillers "ought to" try a Lamy 2000 (and get rid of it, or at least stop using it, if it then proves not to be to one's tastes).

 

well that is safe to me, thank you for sharing! i was worried that it might clog a fountain pen with a piston or something, but as you said it seems as safe as it can get, i don't think it is more different than the black pigmented inks that i use (like the carbon black). I decided to get J Herbin Emerald and i love it!

[The-Thinker]

I have almost all vintage pens so shimmer is right out for me. I tried Emeraud de Chivor and couldn't get it to shimmer in my fine nibs. It also clogged and dried. Without the shimmer it is a flat boring teal. That was my one and only effort in that direction. Now if you want to talk *shading* that's a party I will bring drinks to.

Any shading ink that you love?

[The-Thinker]

@ The-Thinker:

What's a must have shimmer ink? One that has a base color that you like and one that works well in a pen you have without clogging and is easy to clean.

For the first criterion, a lot of people really like Emeralds of Chivor -- but I don't like the base ink color. OTOH, I bought a full bottle of Stormy Grey based solely on a written exemplar I'd seen of the ink at a table at DCSS that year, and didn't bother to get a sample first. I didn't think I'd like the original formula of Rouge Hematite (with the big flakes of gold) but it turned out to be more of a brick red than a blood red for the ink itself. That pen goes into a cheap Chinese pen with a fude nib. It doesn't get much use as an ink, but is very nice for calligraphy.

For the second criterion, I have a 1980s era Pelikan M100 with a 1 mm stub nib that does well with most of the "regular" shimmer inks (I would NOT, for instance, put any shimmer ink in one of my Parker 61s with the capillary fillers... ).

So pick a shimmer ink that's a color you like to begin with and has the shimmer particles in a color you like. Read the reviews here or online to see how the ink behaves, then try a sample and see how the ink does in the desired pen (and that *includes* how easy it is to flush out).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: One thing to remember about *any* shimmer ink is that the particles are likely to go out of suspension. So you will have to shake the (closed) bottle or sample vial up every time you use it; and often will have to agitate or roll the pen around every now and then when you use it. The only one I think might not need that agitation is Nemosine Snowball Nebula (which has smaller shimmer particles) -- but that ink is likely no longer available, since Nemosine is going out of business.

i was worried if i should put the shimmer inks in piston fillers like my pelikan, and was afraid it would mess up the piston or something

[The-Thinker]

I like Amethyste de l'Oural very much and would say it has character; it is dark and elegant with a subtle shimmer, in contrast with certain other inks--shimmering or not--that, to my mind, are overloaded with special effects.

 

As for safety, although I would not use any shimmer ink in a vintage pen, I suspect that Amethyste would require little special care in any pen with a converter.

 

What I don't understand about the original question is what is meant by "the most color variation." If the poster is looking for an ink that, in addition to shimmer, has sheen or that separates into multiple constituent colors under everyday writing conditions, I don't think Amethyste satisfies that requirement.

Yes, i would like a heavy sheening ink, something that provides a wide range of color variation in addition to shimmer

[The-Thinker]

what inks do you suggest (love)?

The inks I love most have zero shimmer. If any ink does (like most versions of the 1670s), I let them lie around peacefully in their bottles for a long while before opening with as little movement as possible (no longer having access to the centrifuges)

[The-Thinker]

t

 

My problem is... I've got a bunch of these Pentel Hybrid Dual Metallic gelballs



and they're so strikingly vivid they make JH 1670 look dull heck they write over black too.

the problem is that they are so thick and i feel them being inconsistent in their shimmer

[A Smug Dill]

i was worried if i should put the shimmer inks in piston fillers like my pelikan, and was afraid it would mess up the piston or something

 

 

I have nineteen piston-fillers "permanently" filled with nineteen different shimmer inks, not counting the Aurora 88 Minerali that now has a non-shimmer ink in it, and I've never had one with a "messed-up" piston due to having had shimmer inks in them. That said, they are nineteen Wing Sung 3018 pens and I have a whole box of other cheap piston-fillers in a drawer on standby.

[The-Thinker]

 

 

I have nineteen piston-fillers "permanently" filled with nineteen different shimmer inks, not counting the Aurora 88 Minerali that now has a non-shimmer ink in it, and I've never had one with a "messed-up" piston due to having had shimmer inks in them. That said, they are nineteen Wing Sung 3018 pens and I have a whole box of other cheap piston-fillers in a drawer on standby.

 

all these info seems to be promising to not be "that afraid" of the shimmer

[A Smug Dill]

all these info seems to be promising to not be "that afraid" of the shimmer

 

 

Nothing is completely without risks to the consumer and/or user. I'm saying assess and manage the calculated risks. You don't have to use a piston-filler if you don't want to. You don't have to use a Pelikan piston-filler if you must use a piston-filler, but it doesn't have to be a Pelikan. You don't have to think of the Pelikan's piston as irreplaceable if it gets damaged. Or you don't have to use shimmer inks, if you much prefer to avoid the risks to the pens altogether. The compromise is yours to make; I'm only telling you the choices I made, and the results I've observed so far. Your mileage may vary.