What Should be the Pen & Ink of the Year 2015?

Hey Pen Lovers,

Need your help in putting together a nominations list for Pen of the Year 2015.

Every year, we (Goldspot Pens) run a "reader's choice" vote for Pen of the Year. We set up a poll online of all the nominees during the first week in November, coinciding the the US Election Day.

Last year, Edison Pen Co completed a 4-peat with their 2014 Pen of the Year, the Glenmont limited edition.

Previous winners of the Pen of the Year

• Edison Glenmont 2014 Limited Edition (2014)
• Edison Menlo Fountain Pen (2013)
• Edison Beaumont & Conid's Fountainbel Bulkfiller Demonstrator (2012)
• Edison Collier Fountain Pen (2011)
• TWSBI Diamond 530 Fountain Pen (2010)
• Pelikan m205 Blue Transparent Fountain Pen (2009)
• Online Newood Fountain Pen Calligraphy Set (2008)

What qualifies as a Pen of the Year 2015 candidate, you say? Any pen that was released during this year, including new colors and styles of established pen models (like the Pilot Vanishing Point Twilight, for example).

Here is a list of what I've got so far :

• Edison Collier LE Black Rose Acrylic Ltd Ed
• Pilot VP 2015 Twilight Ltd Ed
• Pelikan M205 Amethyst
• Pelikan M800 Stresemann
• Pelikan M200 Cafe Creme
• OMAS Ogiva Cocktail Ltd Ed.
• Sailor Pro Gear Galaxy Starburst Ltd Ed
• Retro 51 Tornado Popper "Liftoff" Ltd Ed
• Cross Townsend Star Wars Darth Vader
• Lamy Al-Star Copper Orange
• Kaweco Brass Sport

Please COMMENT BELOW any others that you feel should be on this list.

Ink of the Year 2015

For the first time, we're also going to have a simultaneous vote for the Ink of the Year, 2015. This will be run in a similar fashion with an online poll that we will run here on our blog. Inks have become such an integral part of the fountain pen experience that some "blockbuster" inks truly deserve recognition.

Here are the nominees I came up with :

• Diamine Shimmertastic Inks
• J. Herbin 1670 Anniversary Emerald of Chivor
• Pelikan Edelstein Amethyst
• Sailor Storia Pigmented Inks
• Mont Blanc Blue Hour Blue-Black

Again, please COMMENT BELOW any other inks that you feel should be on the list of nominees.

The voting page will be up on Tuesday here on the blog. So, check back here or sign up for our newsletter so you can get the update directly in your e-mail inbox.

Win an Entire Pen Collection Giveaway

Hey All,

We haven't run a good giveaway in some time, and it's a shame, because we love giving away pen goodies to all of our fans, followers and customers. Let's change that.

10 sexy fountain pens are up for grabs.

Starting today (Sept 17th) and running until Sept 30th, we're gathering entries for our biggest giveaway yet - a collection of pens from JinHao, along with Diamine ink and a Rhodia pad. We're raffling off this complete, 10-pen collection to one lucky winner that will be randomly chosen when the official deadline for entries closes.

This set of JinHao pens we're giving away has something for everyone. Ornate, classic, modern and stylish designs. No one pen is the same. Some come with converters, some do not. Chances are, you may not be using all 10 pens at one time, so this may not be an issue. They do take standard international converters or international ink cartridges. The winner will have the ability to choose the color of Diamine ink and whether it will be bottled or cartridges.

We will contact the winner and allow (7) days for them to respond with a shipping address and preference of ink. If we do not receive a response from the winner, we will draw a second time and allow for another (7) days, and so on and so forth.

Entering the giveaway is easy. We're hosting it directly our Goldspot Pens Giveaway Page. Be sure to follow the instructions on how you can earn extra entries.

• Sign up to our e-mail newsletter list.
• "Like" our page on facebook.
• Follow us on Twitter
• Tweet a message promoting the giveaway
• Follow us on Pinterest

Like I mentioned, all of this is on our official Giveaway page, so click on over to our link below and throw your name into the hat.

ENTER OUR FALL PEN COLLECTION GIVEAWAY

Diamine Shimmering Fountain Pen Inks Coming Soon

] If you thought the shimmer hype train ended with the first wave of J. Herbin 1670 Emerald of Chivor ink, you're in for a sparkly surprise!

Diamine, one of the UK's most prominent ink manufacturers, have been working fastidiously for two years on a shimmering ink formula of their own, and has finally developed  product that is ready for fountain pen consumption. Dubbed the Diamine Shimmering Fountain Pen Inks, this set of 10 colors is due to hit American shores in early October.

These are the scans that were sent to dealers without any photo retouching. Yes, we notice that Brandy Dazzle does show up twice, but that is how the information was sent to us. If you want to see the other color, "Red Lustre," check out Goulet's post with the retouched versions of these swabs.

Instantly, one has to compare these inks with the current line of J. Herbin 1670 inks. "Sparkling Shadows" must be an analog of "Stormy Grey."  "Brandy Dazzle" is comparable to "Rouge Hematite." The nautical-themed "Shimmering Seas" is dangerously close in name and color to the "Bleu Ocean." (J. Herbin may want to have the lawyers on retainer for that one.)

What will be exciting to see will be the other variant colors, like the purple with gold sparkle, the turquoise with silver flecks and the "golden sands" color. Since all the J. Herbin inks have gold flecks, it will be interesting to see how silver flecks will look on these Diamine colors.

Diamine is still working on finalizing a price for each bottle. I won't pin down a price, because I know someone out there will try to hold me to it, but it will probably be as expensive, if not more expensive, than a bottle of the 1670 ink.

Have a shimmery weekend!

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).

Diamine Apple Glory Ink Review

Apple Glory is among the new hues (debut in summer 2012) for renown British ink manufacturer Diamine. It matches nicely with the Lamy Safari Apple Green, which also hit the fine writing market around the same time last year. Bright, medium toned with sufficient saturation, Apple Glory is what I was looking for in a green that spreads Christmas cheer.

Diamine Apple Glory written with TWSBI 1.5mm Stub on InkJournal Paper

A Lamy Safari in Apple Green - 2012 Special Edition Color

The TWSBI Stub nib produces a significant amount of shading with this ink, especially when writing on Rhodia paper. The ink's consistency flows nicely (saw that before writing when it went all over the carpet...woops) and dries reasonably quick. Looking forward to trying this ink in a medium or a fine nib next. This may be an "evergreen" ink to use all year long. *Snicker*