J Herbin Eclat De Saphir [full size photo] - This is yet another beautiful color by J Herbin... I would have to say right off the bat, Eclat De Saphir doesn't fail to satisfy. In the Esterbrook I used for this review, was a pretty dulled down 1550 nib. This nib can be rather scratchy, it has a sweet spot, but is sometimes difficult to work with. Regardless of the nib, the ink is sheer awesomeness. It flows wonderfully and is very well behaved. (No show / bleed through / feathering). This pen and ink combo produces a nice line that is a bit wet. There doesn't seem to be too much shading with this Esty, but in my 9048 flex nib, this ink really shines. Flex pops this ink really nicely. The ink also takes a tiny bit to dry at about 7 seconds or so, at least that's about what it took to dry on my Hammermill LaserPrint test paper.
The qtip test shows the ink to be similar to the Montblanc Royal Blue Ink Review I recently did. But in everyday writing, the Eclat De Saphir appears to be darker and less purplish.
This ink is very pretty, subtle nuances pop based on the nib & pen used. It's a fantastic ink that I use pretty often. I highly recommend it!
J Herbin was established in 1670, when Louis XIV, the Sun King, was 32 years old.
M. Herbin was a sailor, and from his many journeys to India he brought back to Paris formulas for manufacturing sealing wax. His special lacquer formula improved the quality of the seals in adhesion and neatness, helping him to become famous throughout the kingdom.
J. Herbin is also the oldest name in ink production in the world.
By 1700, the company was producing “l’Encre de la Tete Noire,” followed by “Perle des Encres,” (The Jewel of Inks) and “l’Encre des Vaisseaux” (The Ink of Ships).
J. Herbin made ink for Louis XIV, and a black ink for the sole use of Victor Hugo, author of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Miserables. These formulas still reside in our company archives in Paris.
This ink was purchased from: Peartreepens.com
