La Plume Etoile

The Bottle: A small rectangle plastic bottle. I think this is just for sampling purposes.

The Color: This is a great black color. I have found it to be a black-black, and not very influenced by purples, blues or greens like other black inks.

Consistency: Saturated and consistent. I tested this ink in a Lamy Joy AL Calligraphy pen with a 1.1 mm nib and it flows well.  I never had a problem with clogging or drying and it was a pleasure to use.

Other Considerations: None I can think of - this is a great ink!

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The Bottle: A small rectangle plastic bottle. I think this is just for sampling purposes.

The Color: This is a true red color. It skews more orange-red than blue-red, but it is just a great red color.

Consistency: Saturated and consistent. It normally flowed well, although sometimes it would get clogged in the nib and flow a little thin. I know others use this ink without any problems, so my problems may have been partially caused by the pen or the paper I was using. However, these problems have been reduced when using other inks in the same pen.

Other Considerations: As much as I liked the color of this ink, it stains. I realize most inks will stain clothing, fingers, etc. However, this ink also stained the interior of my pen. I tested the ink in a modified Pilot Varsity, so I was not using a converter or sac. After rinsing the pen, the plastic barrel was stained a light red color, which is something I have not often seen with other inks.

I have to say I would be very hesitant to use this ink in any of my vintage pens and would only use it in something disposable like a modified Pilot Varsity.  Like I said, I know other people have used this ink with no problems, so my experience may be an isolated incident.  If you like the color, try it and see how it works for you!

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Mont Blanc recently invited me to preview their new Ingrid Bergman pen. I unfortunately do not have photos to share  because I did not bring my camera when I previewed the pen.

The Ingrid Bergman pen is beautiful with a mother of pearl style cap and amethyst on the clip.  The body of the pen is black resin.  If you are familiar with the Mont Blanc writing experience, the pen writes the same.  What really amazes me about the Bergman, Dietrich and Garbo pens is that Mont Blanc really evokes the essence of each woman in the style of the pen.  It is hard to explain, you have to see them to experience it.  You can view the Bergman pen at Mont Blanc’s website here.

While at Mont Blanc, I also browsed the Starwalker, Boheme and my personal favorite, the new Etoile collection.  How could I not love it with that name?!  The other pen I really liked is the one to benefit Unicef, with a beautiful sapphire stone in the cap.

While the Mont Blanc pens are some of the most gorgeous around, I found the nibs to drag.  Have you had this experience?  What do you think of the Mont Blanc pens?

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The Bottle: A small rectangle plastic bottle. I think this is just for sampling purposes.

The Color: This is a really great dark brown. I am generally not a brown fan, but really like the warmth of this one. Another plus of this one is that it is close to black and therefore may be able to add some variety to writing in a business environment.

This ink is pretty consistent on different papers. There is no feathering and not much shading due to its dark hue. The writing sample in the photos was taken with a glass dip pen, so again, it is a bit darker than when writing with a filled pen.

Consistency: Saturated and consistent. It flows well. I found it dried in the pen if I didn’t use the pen enough, but part of this seems to be due to the pen. Other inks did dry in this pen, just not quite as much as this Chocolate Brown.

Other Considerations: As you can see from my writing samples, the ink is not waterproof.  Overall, this is a great brown color and I like it!

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The Bottle: A small rectangle plastic bottle. I think this is just for sampling purposes and it comes in a nicer bottle for purchase.

The Color: This is a really great dark, forest-y, emerald green color. The ink writes really dark with the glass dip pen. However, the lighter edges of some of the lines are more like what it looks like flowing from an actual pen.

This ink is pretty consistent on different papers. There is no feathering and the ink has some shading. The writing sample in the photos was taken with a glass dip pen, so there is more noticeable shading than when writing with a fountain pen.

Consistency: Saturated and consistent. It flows well.

Other Considerations: Like I said, the ink is a lighter when written with a fill pen, rather than a glass dip. Otherwise, I like it!

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