Our Favourite Bright and Pastel J. Herbin Fountain Pen Ink Colours
Of all the fountain pen ink brands we carry in the store, few have the variety of colours that J. Herbin can boast! No matter what colour you’re looking for, J. Herbin likely has options to choose from. If you’re looking for shimmering colours, you can find beautiful options in the 1798 line, which features flecks of real silver, and the 1670 line, which has flecks of real gold. If you’re looking for cartridges, J. Herbin’s come in packs of six in an international standard short size. They’re contained in a cute little tin that can be reused for little trinkets!
However, by far the most variety of colours can be found in their regular line: the La Perle des Encres collection. We carry this series in 30ml bottles, and it comes in so many colours!
One of the greatest things about this variety is that there are standard colours that are staples in any collection, like black and blue-black, but there are also several unique colours that can’t be compared among different brands. In this post, we’re breaking down some of our favourite bright and pastel colours that are unique to J. Herbin, and why we think that you might like them in your collection.
All of the swabs you see in the photos have been colour corrected to best match the colour of the ink in real life, but it may not be exact due to factors like screen brightness. All swabs were done using a J. Herbin glass dip pen and a Maclellan Notebooks Cahier, which is made of 52gsm white Tomoe River paper. The colour of your ink experience may vary slightly depending on the type of pen and paper you use! Remember that a broader nib will make for a more saturated line, showing more of the inks’ features.
What’s your favourite J. Herbin ink? Let us know in the comments below!
Bright Colours
Pictured here are swabs of our favourite bright J. Herbin colours, as well as a Pilot Metropolitan “Retro Pop” fountain pen in turquoise and a Faber Castell Essentio fountain pen in Aluminum Blue. Click the image to view it larger!
These inks are perfect for a pop of colour in your fountain pen! Though Herbin makes a bunch of beautiful, bright colours, these five are ones that we think stand out. Of all the colours we sell, these ones are unique, and you can read on to find out why we think so.
Eclat de Sephir
One of the inks you’ve probably heard of even if you’re new to the fountain pen community is Eclat de Sephir. This ink is unique because of its special colour. Though it is considered a blue, it has strong purple undertones that it almost looks completely purple in the right light! Like most of J. Herbin’s bright colours, the ink is very saturated and you’ll get the wonderful colour no matter whether you’re using an extra-fine or double-broad nib.
Bleu Pervenche
Something darker than a turquoise but more blue than a teal is hard to come by, but that elusive colour is captured in Bleu Pervenche! This is a lovely deep, saturated turquoise that is both fun to write with and easy to read. That’s perfect for both note taking and journalling!
Rose Tendresse
If you’re a fan of pink fountain pen ink, Rose Tendresse is a must-have for your collection. This colour is a true bright pink—the type of pink that you expect when you walk into the outdoor section to pick out the best flowers for your garden at the beginning of spring. However, it’s not like highlighter florescent pink that it’s so bright it hurts your eyes.
J. Herbin Eclat de Saphir is a blue that just about looks purple in the right light. Trust us, it lives up to its hype!
Corail des Tropiques
Remember “the dress” from a few years ago? No one could decide whether it was white and gold or black and blue! To a less extreme case, it will be hard for you to decide whether Corail des Tropiques fits into the orange section of your ink collection or the pink. It could really go either way! In addition to the way it is both bright and easy to read, like Rose Tendresse, this colour makes the top five unique bright inks from J. Herbin because of its subtle shading, a well sought-after quality.
Violette Pensee
Every brand seems to have a luxurious, deep purple, but J. Herbin’s stands out because of the slight shading you can get with the right nib! Violette Pensee isn’t so saturated that you get the exact same colour in every stroke, but it is saturated enough that you can see the rich colour no matter how much ink is on the page. It’s especially great for key words and headings in professional notes, as it is bright enough to catch your eye without being distracting.
Pastel Colours
Pictured here are our top five pastel inks from J. Herbin, as well as the Lamy Lx in Rose Gold and a special edition TWSBI Eco T in Mint Blue. Click the image to view it larger!
Pastel colours have been super popular the last few years for special edition releases, like the Mint Blue TWSBI Eco T and the Light Blue and Pearl Rose Lamy Tipo rollerball pens. They’ve been favoured for good reason, and we’re so glad that these varieties from J. Herbin are here to stay! These colours are excellent for daily writing because they’re easy on the eyes, but they can also make great muted accent colours. Pastels are also a favourite among bullet journalers, and these inks pair very nicely with accents from the popular Zebra mildliners.
Rouge Caroubier
It’s hard to find a muted red, but Herbin’s Rouge Caroubier does the trick! It’s certainly a red, but it’s a far cry from stop-sign bright! This is a great choice to bring a muted palette together with something special.
Gris Nuage
Greys are a favourite ink colour in the store because of their versatility. Grey is great for professional notes and signatures, but it is also great for accents and journalling. Most of the greys that you’ll find, however, are deeper and imitate graphite. For a much lighter, pastel version of our favourite versatile ink, J. Herbin’s Gris Nuage is a perfect choice. This one is so light that we recommend using it in a very wet-writing or broad nib, but the colour and shading properties are truly one-of-a-kind with the right pen and paper combination.
Bleu Azur
Bleu Azur is a lovely muted, pastel blue. Like its popular cousin, J. Herbin Diabolo Menthe, it is a great match for any pastel blue pen, especially the special edition varieties that have come out over the last few years. It’s a true baby blue, and we’ve only seen colours like it in special edition inks that have come and gone. We’re glad this ink colour will be around for a while so we can replace our bottle when it’s empty!
Soft pink meets rusty brown in J. Herbin Rouille d’Ancre!
Rouille d'Ancre
What might be the most truly special ink on this list is Rouille d'Ancre. This colour is a great match for any rose gold pen, like the Lamy Lx, because of its rusty pink appearance. That said, when there is a lot of ink on the page, it can even start to look brown! Rouille d'Ancre translates to rusty anchor, and this ink truly lives up to the name. If you’re using this ink in your pen, especially one with a broader nib, make sure you’re using it frequently otherwise it’ll be a nice rust instead of pink!
Bouquet D’Antan
Bouquet D’Antan is likely the softest pink in the store, and that’s great for anyone who loves a true pastel. It will write a bit darker than you expect from such a light pink despite the muted nature of the colour, but it is a pink that any pastel lover will enjoy. We use this one in a broad nib to really show off the colour, but it is also wet enough to work in much finer nibs.