Diamine Fountain Pen Bottled Ink, 80ml - Sargasso Sea

Damson Purple I didn't like this color at first. When I put swatches of it next to my other colors, it didn't seem very interesting. Too grey, and not very purplish. But then I started writing with it. To my surprize this neutral purple has a personality all its own - subtle yet appealing, and somehow it feels just right. It is not too dark, but dark enuf that it looks almost black until you put it next to a real black, and it has a nice sheen when you look at it at certain angles. I was going to mix it with something else to make it stand out in my collection, but now I'm afraid to ruin perfection. I enjoy writing with it; the color has a soothing affect as it lays down. It's Diamine. I have used a few other brands but Diamine I like, and all my pens are adjusted for it. I like to blend colors, so keeping to one brand is good for compatibility; some brands don't mix. Now all my inks are Diamine, except a few, which are Monteverde, which mixes well with Diamine without coagulating or precipitating. Sometimes, I add a few drops of NOW Vegetable Glycerin to the ink bottle to lubricate the nib, or a single drop (diluted 30 to 1) of Golden Artist Colors Inc. Wetting Aid surfactant. This has to be done being very careful not to overdo it. It helps when a pen isn't used for awhile and the ink begins to dry out, which even a good quality ink like Diamine will do eventually. But every week or so I'll run the nib under a warm water faucet to flush most of the dried ink, then blot it dry with toilet paper. Takes two minutes and usually fixes problems without having to take it apart.

VERY swift shipping, got it 2 days after i ordered it. Packaging and bottle were in great shape- looked fresh off the shelf. Thank you so much!!! This ink has a golden red sheen to it- it appears on medium-to-very-wet pens, meaning, not TOO wet, but not too light either; I haven't tried it with fine nibs, but I have tried it with medium nibs and it shows well on slightly resistant paper. The acid-free paper I tried it on seems to absorb too much ink from the nib and affects the visibility of the sheen. The swatch they show is fairly accurate, though for the pen I use it's come out richer than that, like the top tip of the swab shows. I was afraid that the golden red sheen would be too intense on the blue color of the ink, but it truly is a rich, saturated blue, like a deep dusk to night hue, with little dustings of shine, like a star behind each letter. It is very beautiful and well worth every dollar. I use my pen every day for signatures and small status update notes at work, and I've used about 3 ounces of it over the course of 3 weeks. The glass bottle was green for me, so don't be alarmed! When I first opened it I thought I got an ugly dark green color by accident, but i was pleasantly relieved when i opened the cap. LOL This ink has started me on a journey with Diamine inks. Originally when i saw the swabs for their colors I was mostly uninterested, except for the anniversary ink, which also has a sheen. I was pleasantly delighted with this particular ink and have since quested for more rich, saturated Diamine inks. Not too wet, not too light- a perfect ink for an everyday writer and artist. Thank you again!

This ink is phenomenal. Very well lubricated, spreads nicely, and settles into a beautiful two-tone effect in the heavier strokes. An absolute pleasure to write with. Tested using an ultra-flex nib with no railroading, pooling, or flow issues. The ink keeps up with the nib even under heavy flex and lays down smoothly. It actually has a very similar feel on paper to higher-end inks like Émeraude de Chivor, but at roughly half the price point. Highly recommended. 5 stars.

This is my second favorite ink after Noodlers Baystate blue. It flows great in all the pen I’ve used it in. My only gripe is that it is not in the slightest bit water resistant. A sweaty hand will smear it after it has dried. But other than that it’s got a great color and sheen.

This ink is very bright and flashy. I like Diamine inks a lot - they are well behaved. Despite its boldness this one also seems well behaved. A new favorite for me and great price.

This is one of the most gorgeous inks I’ve ever seen, and the price was absolutely amazing. It is a royal blue that shows up well in either fine or medium point fountain pens (the only ones I tested), but the boldness is enhanced in the medium point. I will be working on this bottle for quite some time, and it’s a much better buy than the 30 ml bottles. Diamine has a winner here.

I'd been about to give up on using any blue on my very dry, extra fine nib pen. They'd all dry up into a faint wisp of a light blue, nothing close to the color they initially lay down. But then I tried the Sargasso Sea on a whim, not really ready to be impressed because it's yet another blue in a sea of blues. I was wrong. This blue does not fade away after drying. It stays dark, vibrant, and beautifully similar to Tanzanite. My dry little ef nib now writes excellently, thanks to the wet properties of this ink. Who needs blue-black (what kind of color is a blue black anyway? dark blue? colored black?) when you have a dark, vibrant blue that isn't plain and boring, but has a delicious hint of indigo in it and best of all, writes nice and wet and stays vibrant with time? This unique-named ink from Diamine might end up becoming my go-to, everyday professional ink.

This ink is really nice to write with. The color is a beautiful blue-purple that looks great on the page without being too bold or too light. It flows smoothly in my pen and dries pretty quickly, so I don’t have to worry about smudging. The bottle is also well-designed and easy to use. Overall, it just makes writing feel a little more enjoyable.

Eigentlich ein schönes sattes Blau, aber leider stinkt die Tinte nach verschimmeltem Leder. Der Schreibgenuss wird durch diese olfaktorische Belästigung nachhaltig getrübt. Daher nicht zu verwenden. Sehr schade!

I would not use any other make!