thINKthursday
Diamine Shimmertastic Enchanted Ocean
We spend the last thINKthursday of 2016 swimming in the
tranquil seas of Diamine Enchanted Ocean.
thINKthursday – Diamine Shimmertastic Enchanted Ocean
Enchanted Ocean is part of the 10 new colors that Diamine released this year as part of their Shimmertastic series. Shimmertastic inks come in a 50ml glass bottle that has either a silver or gold cap that matches the shimmer of the ink. This review was done with an Edison Collier M, Lamy Studio B, and on Rhodia No. 18 blank paper.
I’m very taken with the color of Enchanted Ocean, but it’s rather hard to describe. The base ink is similar to Diamine Prussian Blue; a rich dark blue that wanders into the blue-black category. When the ink is watered down, green hues emerge that make the ink appear teal. When using the ink for normal writing, none of that green comes through. Enchanted Ocean did not shade much with a finer nib, but with a broad nib it shaded nicely form an Aegean blue to a dark denim color.
Similar to the other Shimmertastics, Enchanted Ocean had fairly good properties. Flow was good and there was no feathering or bleedthrough on Rhodia paper. The saturation was on the high side and the dry times were around 25-30 seconds. Shading was minimal except in the broad nib. The ink had no water resistance, but as a fun aside, I noticed that the shimmer particles stayed where they were written while the ink was completely washed away. This made for a ghostly echo of the words that were written. As with any shimmer ink, clean up is going to be more intensive, but not impossible.
I think what draws me to Enchanted Ocean so much is that it has a subtle beauty, but it can also be used as an everyday ink without drawing to much attention. This would be a great ink to try for anyone that has been wanting to dip their toes into the world of shimmering ink.
As with any ink review, the pen, paper, and person doing the writing will influence the way the ink looks. If you’re not sure about a color, try a sample to see if it’s the one for you.
Ink it Up!
Chris
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