Van Dieman’s - Diamonds Are A Girl’s BFF

Van Dieman’s - Diamonds Are A Girl’s BFF - Ink drop

Today’s ink is Van Dieman’s Diamonds Are a Girl’s BFF. An ink celebrating Marilyn Monroe can only be from their Hollywood series! The ink itself was inspired by the pink dress and diamonds that Monroe wore in the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, when she sang Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.

Visually, this is a deep, rich, french rose pink with plum influences. Monroe’s dress was more of a fuchsia, but I think this is a much more sophisticated pink. This is a luscious shimmer ink, with fine-particle, silver shimmer taking the place of Monroe’s diamonds. The shimmer and base color blend beautifully, creating a gorgeous, waxy, velvety mask. The depth and richness of the smoky pink, together with the softness of the shimmer is a beautiful combination.

Van Dieman’s - Diamonds Are A Girl’s BFF - Ink Swatch Card

As a writing ink, this ink is a bit of a diva. It performs beautifully under the right circumstances, but it can be difficult to please. Coated papers get the best results (I preferred Kokuyo). Strokes were sharp and clean, and there was slight shading, but drying times were a bit long at 20-30 seconds. Uncoated papers have mixed results. Fabriano didn’t shade, but strokes were crisp and lovely. Apica and office copy were largely unusable due to heavy feathering, and neither showed any shading.

There’s no doubt, Diamonds Are a Girl’s BFF is a very attractive ink. The rich, velvety color is just gorgeous! Van Dieman’s do a great job with shimmer inks, and this is a good example of their mastery. I definitely recommend this ink, but only if you stick to coated papers, or use it as an art ink.