On the second day of Inkmas, the true nerd brought to you:
An ink from the author of The Little Prince! Honestly, that is all I knew about Antoine de Saint-Exupéry which I’m sure makes me poorly educated about the author so I read his wikipedia page. So now I know that besides being the recipient of a limited edition MontBlanc ink, I also know that he was a pilot and a hero to the French. So, let’s talk about the ink.
The MontBlanc Anotine de Saint-Exupéry ink ($43) is in my favorite faceted 50ml square glass bottle. It’s really a lovely,distinctive bottle.
The box mentioned that the color was “desert” but obviously the color is more reddish burgundy than brown which is what I would associate with a desert. To be honest, this is the color I wanted to see in the Shakespeare ink that was released by MontBlanc earlier this year.
The ink shows some nice shading and color variation and the rich burgundy, plummy color is lovely.
Compared with other inks in the same color family, Diamine Syrah ($14.95 for 80ml) and Callifolio Grenat are probably the closest in color. Syrah is slightly more red and Grenat is slightly more purple. Robert Oster Claret is not as vibrant. As you can see the Shakespeare Velvet Red is not really red at all but a red black.
In conclusion, the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is a very expensive ink in comparison to other options in the same color family but if you are looking for a good gift ink for someone who loves The Little Prince or who is a fan of little luxuries like a bottle of burgundy ink in a fancy bottle, then this might be the perfect holiday gift. If you’re on a budget though, you might consider one of the other inks above as an alternative and a copy of The Little Prince instead.
Tools:
- Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 16 with 6mm guide sheet
- Pens: Esterbrook #2442 nib in a Shawn Newton custom nib holder, Empire vintage traveling dip nib holder with Zebra G titanium nib ($33.50 per 10-pack) (on Col-o-Ring cards only)
- Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Cards
- Brush: Princeton Neptune Round #4
- Ink: Montblanc Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (40ml bottle for $43)
Wikipedia created that post just for you, today! And the ink color is gorgeous. Thanks!
That is a lovely ink! And thank you for the 12 Days of Inkmas. I think I’m going to create a whole new wishlist based on your reviews here. 🙂