Conway Stewart by Diamine Kingsand Ink Review

Renown British maker of fine pens, Conway Stewart, in concert with UK ink manufacturer Diamine, released a set of exclusive fountain pen ink bottles that just arrived on US shores in January 2013. There are six colors total - Bodmin Jet Black, Edgecumbe Lavender, Kingsand Ochre Brown, St Blazey Red, Tamar Royal Blue, and Tavy Denim Blue-Black. If you're scratching your head over the names, each color is dedicated to a landmark that is around Conway Stewart's Factory in Devon, UK. Each 80ml glass ink bottle is handsomely packaged and the inks themselves are fantastic as well. I tried Kingsand Ochre first and was really impressed with the flow, saturation and the hue.

Conway Stewart Kingsand on InkJournal Paper

Writing with Kingsand in my Aurora Optima has been an absolute pleasure. The one characteristic that is unseen in any writing sample scan is that this ink actually changes color slightly as it tries. As the ink travels from the point to the paper, it delivers a Terra-cotta color. Within the next 2 seconds, that color darkens to a warm brown. Perhaps if it were a thicker nib than the extra-fine that I used, it may alter the result of the color change. My theory is that with a thicker, wet nib, the color change would even be more noticeable. This is a theory that needs to be tested!

Overall, I'm impressed with the ink and am looking forward to trying the other colors. We have the bottles available on Goldspot ($12.95 USD for 80mL bottles) or on RefillFinder (same price, but quantity price discounts apply).