Diamine Jack Frost: Ink Review

The Diamine Inkvent Calendar was a revolutionary idea in 2019; a year where we all needed some extra cheer and brightness in the cold winter months. After such positive community feedback about the new inks, many were brought into full production in Diamines "Blue Edition". Diamine Jack Frost was one of those inks and its powerful blue tone, red sheen, and light blue shimmer make it a fan favorite. Check out our impressions here.

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 – Jack Frost is definitely a dye heavy ink and with all that dye and shimmer, you get a longer dry time on most paper. It was tolerable on Leuchtturm1917 and Rhodia but on Tomoe River took a bit longer. Those who write fast or are left handed will need to be careful!

Drip Test (Water Resistance):

• Low – Not at all water-resistant and you can see that clearly in the drip and smear tests. Most high sheen inks are like this so it doesn't come as a great surprise. Be careful with the morning coffee! 

Saturation:

• High – It's about as saturated as a fountain pen ink can get. Lovely depth of color and a deep dark blue come with a nicely flowing nib. Even in a fine or extra-fine the line is perfectly legible and dark. 

Ease of Cleaning:

• Hard – A heavy sheen ink mixed with shimmer is always going to require deep cleaning. Luckily, the shimmer in Jack Frost isn't as heavy as some of Diamine's other shimmer inks so this one will be a bit less tedious. Make sure it doesn't dry in your pen! 

Shading:

• Medium – With the right nib, you can coax some nice shading from this ink. The medium LAMY nib exhibits a touch, but a larger broad will create more pooling and those dark spots will show a nice red sheen in comparison to the lighter blue with shimmer. 

Flow:

• Medium – It's not nearly as free flowing as Writer's Blood and it feels oddly similar to Sherwood Green in flow but there is a difference in feel that can be attributed to the heavy dye load and shimmer in the ink. It goes on smooth and there were no issues with flow unless you set the pen to rest without capping. 

 Packaging and Aesthetics:

• Diamine's Blue Edition comes in the most lovely little bottles. Some call it a small retro ottoman and others, a glass space ship. Whatever you call it, it's unique and looks great on a desk! 

If you're interested in similar colors, check out our Swab Shop where you can compare colors side by side.

Summary:

Diamine's Jack Frost is a winner for those who love rich blue color, value sheening capabilities, and want a dash of shimmer mixed in. It's a truly beautiful ink on the page that makes you want to write and admire it. Sheening and shimmer inks aren't for everyone, but if you want to add some icy shine to your next line of text, this one is for you! 

This color is available in 50ml bottles here as well as our 2ml sample.