The above photo was taken in direct sunlight. Ink is swatched on Clairefontaine 90gsm paper, using a glass dip pen.
Specs
Name: Cocoa Shimmer
Maker: Diamine
Color Family: Brown
Properties: Shimmering, Shading (low), Sheening (low)
Purchased at: Vanness
What’s in a name?
This ink was released as part of the 2016 Shimmertastic collection. It’s a warm brown, hence the cocoa part of the name, and has gold particulate, hence the shimmer part of the name.
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 Cosmo Air Light 75gsm paper, using an FPR Himalaya v2 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
This is a lovely shimmer ink and, being in a Flex nib pen, the above writing samples show the darkest parts of it. Despite the shimmer, it flows smoothly enough that I think it would actually be fine in a Fine nib pen (maybe even an EF). Obviously, the hue will be a bit lighter, but I suspect some of the shimmer would come through in the Fine nib. The shimmer was pretty consistent here, without clogging the feed, but not too kapow.
The shading was a bit harder to spot, and the sheen was nonexistent for me. But then again, brown sheen in a brown ink…how would I even spot that?
Diamine continues to set a gold standard with shimmer inks and Cocoa Shimmer is no exception. I believe this would be a great intro to the world of shimmering inks, for those wanting to dip their toe in without going too wild.
*All pics and vid were taken using a Samsung Galaxy S22 and color-adjusted to best reflect the hue of that ink.
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