Inspired by Kenouni Renoshin‘s suggestion that I do more ink reviews, I give to you the first day of the 12 Days of Inkmas. Cheers!
On this, the seventh day of Inkmas, I finally have some jewels. Well, ink jewels anyway. Private Reserve Tanzanite. This is also another of the colors (there’s only one left!) from the December Ink Drop in honor of Private Reserve founder Terry Johnson.
Private Reserve Tanzanite is a bluish violet. Its a bright, vivid color with some shading. When writing with a fine nib, the color definitely looks like a violet. It’s a pretty easy-to-use violet ink especially in a standard nib fountain pen. Its a deep color and dries to show a little shading. (My photos look a bit more blue than it appears in real life)
This is a shade of ink that is just not normally to my liking. I prefer darker, dirtier purple colors — more purple-black or plums. That said, I’d happily use this ink for a bit of color variety.
In the swab, you can really see how bluish the color is and just a hint of the reddish undertone.
Purples, like almost all the other ink colors have such a range of hues. I’d say the closest color I could find to P.R. Tanzanite with the De Atramentis Hyacinth 35ml ($12.50) though it’s a bit more blue, and its scented. (These sample images seem a bit more blue on my screen than in real life — ah, the joys of color correcting!)
Private Reserve Tanzanite is sold in 50ml bottles for $8.80.
The samples above were written with a TWSBI Mini EF fountain pen in the Quo Vadis Habana bright white, blank notebook. Dry times will vary depending on paper stock. Comparison samples were written using a steel dip nib with a bit of flex which causes some of the more liquidy inks, like De Atramentis, to run a bit. They are included for color comparison. Best efforts were made to achieve color accuracy but the limitations of camera, lighting and individual monitor calibrations may alter the final look. For best results, order a sample of the ink color you like best and try it before you invest in a whole bottle.
This is probably my favorite ink color. It’s blue enough to be used in professional situations, but it has just enough purple to give it some flair. The only problem I have with it is that it’s a very wet ink, so I can only use it with certain pens. I’ve switched to J.Herbin Eclat de Saphir as my daily ink because it’s more usable in more pens. Still, I love this color.