Jacques Herbin - Amethyst de l’Oural

Jacques Herbin - Amethyst de l’Oural - ink drop

Today’s ink is Amethyst de l’Oural from Jacques Herbin. First released in 2017, it’s part of the 1798 series, which features silver shimmer. The deep purple of this ink, with its silver shimmer, sparkles like the desirable gemstones for which it’s named. Russia’s Ural Mountains have long been a storied source of fine amethyst minerals. Deep purple-red amethysts were called Uralian amethyst and were historically the most prized.

Visually, this is a deep, rich purple. It’s luscious, with a comfortable, energetic feel. Jacques Herbin started the shimmer category with their 1670 series, and are masters of gorgeous, fine-particle shimmer. The lovely silver shimmer here combines with the rich purple to create a beautiful, silky lavender. The splatter shows a burnt gold sheen edging to areas of pooling, but none appears in writing.

Jacques Herbin - Amethyst de l’Oural - ink swatch card

As a writing ink, Amethyst de l’Oural is extremely comfortable, and smooth flowing. Strokes were sharp and well-defined on the premiums I tested, and on office copy, too. Shading was moderate. Although traces of shading showed on all papers, it really only became a feature on Kokuyo and Apica. There was no sheen or halo on any of the six papers tested, but with shimmer inks, this isn’t unusual. Drying was fantastic! Rhodia was the slowest at 10-20 seconds, while other coated premiums were 5-15. Uncoated premiums were 5-10 seconds, and office copy was 5 seconds. That’s fast!

Jacques Herbin Amethyst de l’Oural is a gorgeous, luxurious purple, and the silver shimmer is its crown. It’s a fabulous writing ink, too! If you haven’t tried it, please do!

December 2020