Diamine - Rockin Rio

Diamine Rockin Rio - Ink drop

Diamine added Rockin Rio to the Shimmertastic line in 2018. Like the Brazilian city, it’s bold and energetic. I really wish I knew the story behind the name, but it definitely matches the ink. As with all inks in the line, it comes in the tall, cylindrical, 50 ml bottle.

Diamine Rockin Rio fountain pen ink color range

Rockin Rio is a rich, deep burnt orange. On some papers, it drifts slightly brown but still remains in the oranges. Saturated strokes have dark, almost blackened edges on coated papers. This makes it pop and brings out the variety of tones in stroke centers. Both red and brown influences play a significant role in creating this burnt orange.

Ink Swatches on Cosmo Air Light and Tomoe River

It’s no surprise that this is a shimmer ink, and Diamine’s shimmers rarely disappoint visually, or in terms of performance. The fine-particled gold is luscious and luxurious, but it doesn’t dominate the color in writing. I didn’t have any problems in the medium-nibbed Benu that I used for testing. There weren’t any issues with crusting, either.

Writing sample on Cosmo Air Snow paper

Writing experience and performance were quite good. On high-quality papers, strokes were consistent and clean with crisp edges. On office copy, there was some spreading, but not to an unpleasant degree. In flow, it’s fairly wet, and it has good substance in feel. It’s very smooth. As you might expect, there was moderate show-through on uncoated papers. Drying times were average or slightly longer, but I didn’t find any problems with smudging when dry.

Diamine Rockin Rio ink writing samples

Rockin Rio is a nice writing ink, and the color combination is very attractive. My only complaint is its similarity to a number of Diamine inks, including a couple in the Shimmertastic line (Brandy Dazzle and Caramel Sparkle). They aren’t identical, and Rockin Rio leans more brown at times than the others, but I’d choose one or maybe two of the group rather than all three.

Diamine Rockin Rio - Swatch Card

Diamine Rockin Rio - Comparisons

Diamine Rockin Rio - 50 ml Ink Bottle