thINKthursday
Lamy Beryl

Roll out the Beryl, we’ll have a Beryl of fun!

thINKthursday – Lamy Beryl

We’re rolling along with the Lamy Crystal inks, and today’s feature is a top-shelf selection. Beryl is a beautiful fuchsia magenta that really pops off the page. As part of Lamy’s new Crystal series of inks, Beryl comes in a 30ml glass bottle. The packaging of these inks makes them feel like a premium product worth at least twice what they price. This review was done with a Pilot Decimo F, Lamy AL-Star B and on Rhodia blank No.18 paper.

Beryl is a highly saturated ink that has a similar appearance in both fine and broad nibs. At its lightest the ink is a lilac purple. From there it shades to a deep plum. On its way to its darkest hue, it passes through shades of magenta and mulberry. The ink is a rich raisin purple at its darkest. The ink does display some gold sheen, but only when used in large amounts on an excellent paper.

Lamy Crystal inks have even better properties than their standard line of ink. Beryl has excellent flow with no feathering or bleedthrough on Rhodia paper. Dry times are a little high with Beryl, but easily manageable at 25-35 seconds. Shading is moderate but what you do get has a high degree of contrast. Water resistance is low but clean up is easy.

Beryl is almost a spot on match for Iroshizuku Yama-Budo, but with better flow. That should get your attending considering Yama-Budo is one of the better-loved inks on the market. I have nothing but good things to say about the new Crystal ink, and Beryl in particular is a beautiful color that performs extremely well.

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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