Best Shimmering Fountain Pen Inks

There’s nothing quite like a good shimmering fountain pen ink. Whether you’re writing out cards for the holidays, personalizing your stationery, or simply doing a journal entry, these inks make writing that much more fun. As beautiful as these inks are, they can also be a little bit tricky to use. Here, we’ll talk about the best shimmering fountain pen inks and how to get the most out of them when you write.

What are shimmering fountain pen inks? 

Before we dive into our recommendations, it might be helpful to explain a few things about shimmering inks. First, what is shimmer in fountain pen inks? The shining effect you get when writing with these types of ink is produced by tiny micro-particles of glitter that have been added to the ink. Basically, shimmering fountain pen ink is regular fountain pen ink with the addition of these glittering particles that give it a beautiful reflective quality once written on paper. 

Shimmering fountain pen inks are not to be confused with sheening fountain pen inks, though both effects are often combined. Unlike shimmering ink, which has glitter particles suspended in the fluid, sheening ink achieves its gleaming effect from pools of ink that settle and dry on paper. 

Best shimmering fountain pen inks

Because there are so many fountain pen inks out there, we will not be doing a comprehensive list of the best shimmering inks that you can use. Instead, we will recommend some inks from different brands that you can start with, especially if you are experimenting with differen-colored inks. 

Here are our top picks for the best shimmering fountain pen inks: 

1. Robert Oster - Heart of Gold

If you want a truly gold ink with tons of gold shimmer, then this is the one for you. It truly looks like liquid gold. Robert Oster’s inks are known to have a wet flow, so you should encounter little to no issues with this ink when used with the right pen. 

2. Troublemaker Inks - Copper Patina

Another shimmering ink that is worthy to add to any collection is Copper Patina from Troublemaker Inks. This light teal ink has plenty of gold shimmer and a relatively quicker dry time than others. 

3. J. Herbin 1670 - Emerald of Chivor

One of the most popular shimmering inks that gained a cult-like status in the stationery world is J. Herbin’s Emerald of Chivor. We can’t get enough of the combination of a beautiful dark teal, red sheen, and gold shimmer. This ink will write a bit drier than others. 

4. Diamine - Enchanted Ocean

Diamine has an extensive collection of shimmering inks, and Enchanted stands out as a beautiful dark blue with green undertones and a ton of silver shimmer. Diamine inks are generally well-behaved with average flow but do take note that they tend to have larger shimmer particles. 

5. Diamine - Firefly

Diamine Firefly is great if you want something more vibrant and fun to write with. It is a bright orange with lots of gold shimmer, making it perfect for those who want brighter colors in their fountain pens. The ink behaves well and has a moderate flow.

How to get the best out of shimmering inks

There are a few things to note when using shimmering fountain pen inks. Here are our tips to get the best experience from your shimmering inks: 

1. When picking up a fountain pen that has not been used for a while, it may be helpful to roll or twirl the pen to disturb shimmer particles that have settled. This evenly distributes the glitter in the ink. 

2. Store pens with shimmering ink on their sides so that shimmer particles do not settle and clog up the feed. This can result in hard starts and a weak ink flow, and you must thoroughly clean your pen, especially the feed. 

3. Pair shimmering inks with pens that have a wet flow and larger-sized nibs. The more ink a nib can put down on paper, the better the shimmering particles flow through. The properties of your ink will also be more apparent when using broader nibs. You can still use a fine nib for shimmering inks but remember that they may not show the shimmer as well since you’re writing a thinner line. 

4. Choose a pen that can be completely disassembled. This will allow you to thoroughly clean the nib and feed of any leftover shimmering particles from the ink.

5. Write with and clean your pen regularly when using shimmering inks. This will ensure that you are following the proper fountain pen maintenance and cleaning procedures that are necessary to keep your fountain pens in good working order. 

The bottom line

Shimmering inks are fantastic to write with. All you need is the right pen with a wide enough nib, paper that will show off your ink, and a bottle of shiny, shimmering ink. Start with the ones on this list and then branch out to other color combinations you fancy. 

Happy inking and happy writing! 

Written by EndlessPens Blogger Ramona Kabigting