review: diamine tropical glow

It's shimmer time!

Diamine's shimmering inks were first released around 2015, I believe. They were just on the tail end of what I would consider the shimmer frenzy, so I don't think they got as much attention. Diamine pairs a surprisingly wide variety of ink colors with two different colors of shimmer (gold and silver), which I find quite nice.

I purchased Tropical Glow as a sample, but the shimmering inks come in a tall glass bottle. The bottle's opening is a little smaller than I prefer. The label has some pretty calligraphy on it that matches the color of the shimmer inside. The name of the ink and a corresponding color swatch are both printed on the label as well.

Diamine Tropical Glow is a turquoise with silver shimmer.

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This ink has very little water resistance, but then again I wasn't really expecting much.

It was dry very quickly on Kokuyo MIO paper, becoming smudge-free within fifteen seconds.

Tropical Glow doesn't shade much, though you'll see that there's a little bit especially in broader nibs.

When there's a lot of ink on the page, you'll get the slightest hint of red sheen.

I've noticed that Diamine's Shimmertastic line does a pretty good job of suspending glitter in the ink. You'll definitely get a bigger hit of shimmer when you first start writing, but it doesn't peter out as rapidly as some other shimmer inks I've tested (like those from Herbin).

I compare it to some of the turquoise inks I own. Right off the bat, Colorverse Morning Star is pretty darn close. Diamine Marine and Robert Oster Signature Morning Mist are all in the right ballpark, but they're a bit more green. Colorverse Photon is a bit deeper and more green. Nagasawa Kobe Aotani Cascade Green is far too green.

I have this ink in my PenBBS 309 with a Nemosine broad nib. You can disassemble the entire pen easily—without any tools, too—which makes it a breeze to clean. Tropical Glow flowed very well in this pen (almost too well!) but it was a joy to use especially in long journal entries.

There's a lot of worry about shimmering inks, and much of the concern is valid. You probably don't want to stick a shimmering ink in that ultra-rare vintage flex pen with the impossible-to-clean filling system. But here's the thing: if you have a pen that's you can disassemble completely to get into all the nooks and crannies, why not use a shimmering ink? Listen, life is short and sometimes unbearable. The least you can do is put a little glitter on the page. You deserve it.

Where to buy

• The Goulet Pen Company: bottle / sample
• JetPens: bottle
• Pen Chalet: bottle / sample
• Wonder Pens: bottle + sample