Encre du Desert, Montblanc

Encre du Desert by Montblanc is part of the Antoine de Saint Exupéry (Petit Prince) series and a hommage to this aviation pioneer and writer. I didn't know what to expect from this ink but was pleasantly surprised. Labeled as "dark saffron" the ink is somewhere between brown and purple; depending on nib size and light.

I have used it for several days now, both in a work setting as for some personal communication and I think it's suited for both. Dark and distinctive enough for the office, warm and special enough for personal writings.

The ink is very well behaved and better lubricated than most Montblanc inks. No feathering and beautiful shading. Show-through is significant, even on decent paper (Tomoe River, Rhodia, Clairefontaine). Drying time is a bit longer than average, 50 seconds on Tomoe River paper, the paper used for the review below.
Water or fluids will ruin your writing.

Encre du Desert is a subdued, purple color that definitely leans towards brown in most nibs. I don't have an ink color that comes close. Poussiere de Lune (Herbin) is equally subdued, but more a true purple. Lavender Purple (Montblanc) is bright and purple, Diamine's Damson is subdued but leaning heavily towards blue.

Encre du Desert is a wonderful addition to my collection, a warm ink that I will definitely use more often!

Comments

Kikyou, Sailor Manyo

A few months ago this new ink series by Sailor was announced. Based on flowers, in a stylish 50ml bottle. What I see is not a flower, but an ink that is stormy blue with a hint of green. Teal? Maybe, but in my opinion it's darker than that, scans and monitors can be slightly deceiving. This ink can be a work horse. Very suitable for note taking, definitely works in the office, but also for personal notes and correspondence.

The ink writes like a dream. It's not very wet, but smooth and extremely well-behaved in any pen. Just the combination crown mill vellum paper and a poster nib (as you can see), leads to some feathering of the ink. Drying times are simply fast, with just 12 seconds on this paper! Shading is low. Water resistance is low. Even after days it smears easily with just a tiny drop of water.

I called this ink a work horse. It is, and an expensive one. Even though it's wonderful ink, it's simply not special enough to justify the price. Yonaga (Sailor) and Balt…

Ultra violet shimmer ink, Manuscript

A new caligraphy ink by Manuscript with extreme shimmer. Definitely not something to use in the office but it looked interesting to write some cards with in the upcoming holiday season. This ink is clearly not meant for long notes or letters. A very dark violet or purple with heavy gold shimmer.
I find it a hard to use ink. OK to use in a fountain pen like the TWSBI ECO with a stub nib, but a dip pen made the ink feather and spread, even on Clairefontaine or Crown Mill Vellum paper. On Lalo Vergé it was much better. The ink is very wet, causing considerable show-through and even some bleed-through. The drying time wasn't too bad though with 35 seconds. The shimmer smears easily for a bit longer. As can be seen even on this scan, shimmer is gold and very high. A bit of water will keep the ink readable, enough to rewrite.
The violet or purple is comparable to Herbin's Améthyste de l'Oural. Diamine's Imperial Purple (no shimmer) is brighter and lighter.
All in all this is a …

Bilberry, by Diamine

Bilberry by Diamine is in the twilight zone between blue and purple. Far more dark than the European blueberry it’s named after. Billberry is a very nice dark ink. I’d call it a dark purple leaning towards blue, but it’s really a matter of perception. In any case it’s an elegant ink that works both for personal correspondence as well as note taking in the office. At first glance many will consider it a blue.
Like most if not all Diamine inks, this ink is very well behaved. No feathering, some shading, and minimal show-through. The ink is less wet than most, writes smoothly and has a drying time that's below average for Diamine (Clairefontaine paper). The ink is very afraid of water, even a little drop or some wetness will smear it and ruin your writing. Even days after writing.
Diamine’s Lilac Night was my first thought for a comparison, but it’s much lighter and more blue. Noodler’s Tchaikovsky (a not very vibrant purple) and iroshizuku’s Murasaki don’t come close either.
Bilberr…

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