As promised last week, I will be reviewing an additional state ink from the States collection by Sailor.
Originally, the States inks were going to come out slowly over the year (or years?) and start with states where Sailor would be present at pen shows, but 2020 had different plans for us all. However, with the recent energy we have seen from the North American arm of Sailor, I have hope that we will see more in the future.
The second ink in the States lineup is California. I appreciate that Sailor has a matching theme for these inks so far.
California comes in a small 20mL bottle made of glass (rather heavy for its size). It is the same size as the popular Sailor Studio inks.
This ink is one that straddles the line between green and blue, although closer to the blue side.
The ink sheens in both heavy applications and in writing (depending on the paper used) – a very dark red that looks black at times. In the photo above I used a steel dip pen and the sheen was still evident in most letters. Shading is somewhat subtle but is definitely present – a dark teal ink that occasionally lightens to an aquamarine blue.
The closest ink I have in my collection is De Atramentis Plum (a scented ink). Because of the shading, California seems to change from blue leaning teal to green leaning teal that is hard to match with a single ink.
.As with the Colorado ink, California comes with a lovely explanation of how the color was chosen. This one makes me long for the ocean beaches, but we seem to be in short supply of those here in Colorado!
I am actually grateful that these inks are coming up for sale slowly. The price is steep ($20-$25 for 20mL) so the purchasing may best be done occasionally. But for states where your family or your heart has a special connection, these may be a fun way to acknowledge that love.
- Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10)
- Ink: Sailor Colorado (20mL, $20)
DISCLAIMER: All of the items in this review were purchased by me. Except for the Col-o-ring which was provided to me by a wonderful person who pays me to write blogs by keeping me supplied with Col-o-rings. Please see the About page for more details.
Interesting, I wonder how Coloroado looks compared to Sailor Yama Dori as it’s a similar ink.
Hi Jessica!
I have both these inks since I have ties to both states. I haven't had a chance to use them yet and its interesting to see a preview of what will come out of these bottles.Hope you and your family are well,
Ruth
It would be really helpful to see Colorado and California against a white or black background so we can see the color better without background influence. Thank you.
I received both these inks this week and used it as an excuse to buy a new pen for each 🙂
For the California, I ordered the new TWSBI 580AL in Prussian Blue. The ink is a goooorgeous match for the Prussian Blue and writes so smooth with the medium nib.
The Colorado is going in my new M205 Demonstrator as soon as that arrives, I can’t wait…it’s my first purple ink!