Diamine Ink for Fountain Pens - 80 ml Bottle - Eclipse Black

Eclipse is a soft but still quite dark black. I'm not sure if that's the best way to describe it... it doesn't tend to shade to gray, as some other blacks (Diamine Jet Black is a good example, and one I unfortunately have much experience with). Eclipse is dark and rich, but not at all a pure black or a sharp (crisp?) black. The blue-purple tones soften it quite a bit.

I really like the color, but I have to admit that when I saw the swatch, I hoped the blue-purple tones would be more apparent. Unless I angle my paper just so and peer at it quite closely, I can only catch a faint hint of it, using my Waterman Kultur fine nib. Maybe a medium or broad nib would show it off, but I don't have any at hand to see (even the Waterman fine is a little too wide for me - I like EF or the F of Japanese pens most).

Bleedthrough on regular paper isn't bad, mostly only in spots where I hesitated with the pen or made multiple strokes, and there's very little feathering so far except on super cheap paper, which is nice.

If you're looking for a black ink, this is a respectable option, but definitely consider reviews with writing samples!

I bought this looking for a "black" ink that would really stand out, and it's a definite favourite so far.

Blacks that dry to a grey just don't please me, but this remains satisfyingly dark. When I'm feeling creative, I can get it to show a bit of purple, which I personally love.

This is a deep blue ink with a GORGEOUS golden sheen. It's truly reminiscent of the light from a sunset reflecting off lazy ocean waves.

I find Bilberry Blue to be a very attractive dark blue ink. It satisfies my desire for an ink which is truly blue, although very dark, with no overt evidence of black or teal. The color delights me. Worth the buy if you feel strongly about dark blue ink. For example, if you think Sheaffer blue is a very nice color, but not quite dark enough for all purposes, this might be what you're looking for.

Flows very well in my Plaisir and Lamy pens and I used this ink with a glass dip pen. A wetter nib might show color variation more easily but I have not observed much variation on the few pages I have written so far. A 'fun' purple for happy correspondence - if you prefer a more subdued, 'conservative' color that is purple I have tried the J. Herbin Poussiere De Lune and it is much less 'showy' than this color.