Diamine Blue Velvet: Fountain Pen Ink Review

Diamine Blue Velvet Fountain Pen Ink bottle, and swabs on blue background Diamine Blue Velvet is part of the Diamine Anniversary fountain pen ink collection, created to to celebrate 150 years of the brand. With its rich saturated blue and hints of red sheen, this ink is not one to miss out on. Check out our impressions below.

Diamine Blue Velvet Fountain Pen ink writing sample on dot grid paper

Diamine Blue Velvet Fountain Pen ink on white blank paper

Diamine Blue Velvet Fountain Pen ink on cream dot paper

Ink Review

Supplies Used:

LAMY AL-star with medium steel nib
Rhodia No. 16 dot pad, 80g white paper
Tomoé River 52 gsm white paper
Leuchtturm1917 80g notebook

Smear Test (Dry Time):

20~ seconds – Wet and smooth writing, this ink has a slightly higher dry time but due to this you can see sneaky bits of red sheen where it pools in the right lighting.

Drip Test (Water Resistance):

Low – While not water resistant, Blue Velvet does leave behind a light blue line if exposed to water. Even though it isn't resistant, it does leave a lovely light blue that would work great for accents in water washes.

Saturation:

High – This blue is intensely saturated and lends a pop of color, for both professional documents but also daily writing and note taking.

Ease of Cleaning:

Medium-low – Blue Velvet is more saturated than some other Diamine inks. While it could lightly stain a lighter colored pen, it is not resistant, so a bit of dish soap and warm water will clean it right up.

Shading:

Medium – Shading with this ink is more subtle, going from deep blue to a cerulean tone, but is elevated with the red sheen you can achieve in certain lighting.

Flow:

Wet – Along with the depth of color this ink does take longer to dry so while not as lefty friendly as some other inks, it does still behave well on all paper we tried it on.

Packaging and Aesthetics:

Diamine Anniversary inks come in adorable triangular shaped 40ml glass bottles that are reminiscent of a slice of pie. The mouth of the bottle is easy to fill from but you may eventually want an inkwell to decant it so you can get the last dredges of ink out.

Diamine Blue Velvet Ink Bottle with swab If you're interested in similar colors, check out our Swab Shop where you can compare colors side by side.

Summary:

Diamine Blue Velvet is a wet writing, saturated ink with a sneaky pop of sheen in the right conditions. Great on all types of paper, this ink is well behaved and is fabulous for adding a pop of color.

Diamine Blue Velvet fountain pen ink