The above photo was taken in direct sunlight. Ink is swatched on Clairefontaine 90gsm paper, using a glass dip pen.
Specs
Name: Three Kings
Maker: Diamine
Color Family: Yellow
Properties: Shading
Purchased at: Atlas Stationers (came in the 2022 Diamine InkVent)
What’s in a name?
The only connection I can think of between the name and the color is that one of the three magi who supposedly visited the newborn Christ was giving him a gift of gold.
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 Tomoe River 68gsm paper, using a Monteverde Monza fountain pen with a Medium 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
Diamine calls this a yellow ink, so that’s what we’re sticking with, but in truth it’s got a Dijon mustard gold undertone so you could also argue that it’s a brown ink. My Monza’s Medium nib writes more like a Fine nib, so it’s extra awesome to see the intense shading happening despite not a lot of ink being laid down on the paper. And speaking of shading….is this a duochrome? It looks to me like it shades between yellow and brown (though that may just be because ‘dark yellow’ is….brown, right?). It’s pretty striking!
This ink is a little on the dry side, despite being a thin ink, but it behaved very well for me and I expect it to work well in every sized nib and every pen you put it in. And it’s not too light to be legible in writing, so I expect it will work perfectly well for any task (writing, art, etc.) you put it to. Overall, an excellent ink for beginners and those looking for something dark gold in hue, sans shimmer!
*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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