The above photo was taken in direct sunlight. Ink is swatched on Clairefontaine 90gsm paper, using a glass dip pen.
Specs
Name: Aldous Huxley Old World Blue
Maker: Organics Studio
Color Family: Teal
Properties: Sheening
Purchased at: Goulet Pens
What’s in a name?
One of the Masters of Writing series, Aldous Huxley Old World Blue pays homage to the English writer and philosopher (you may remember reading his 1931 novel Brave New World). It seems to have originally been released in 2014, but current scuttlebutt is that Organics Studio is out of business so horde those colors now.
Swatches
A large swatch of ink showcases the darkest this ink gets, as well as the maximum properties it has (when held at the right angle to show any shimmer or sheen). But what about when you’re writing a letter or notes with it?
The above was written on Yamamoto Cosmo Air Light 75 gsm paper, using a Monteverde Monza fountain pen with a Flex nib.
Of course, for maximum effect you want to see it in light and in motion. The following video shows the ink swatched on Skylab Letterpress 160gsm cards.
Thoughts
I’m a sucker for teals. It is known. You can see from the difference between the swatched photo and the letter that a wetter-flowing nib is required for this ink. It runs on the dry side, which creates a more turquoise hue, but those occasional pops of metallic red where the ink gathers at the highest concentration give it a pop of wow factor, especially when held at an angle to the light. But unlike darker-toned sheeners, even when viewed straight-on you can see there’s a teal-red color shift. And I love it.
OS is most famous for Nitrogen (a monster sheener that was one of the first on the market), but I’d argue that this is one of their most magical colors- largely because of the lighter hues keeping anything from looking boring black. As ever, being a sheener means it takes awhile to dry but it’s worth it.
*All pics and vid were taken using a Google Pixel 4a and color-adjusted to best reflect the hue of that ink.
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