It’s that time of year again! Herbin has recently released their latest entry in the 1798 lineup, Kyanite du Nepal: a bright blue, not quite turquoise, with silver shimmer. Iroshizuku Kon-Peki and Robert Oster Blue Moon Shimmer might be comparable, though the Kyanite du Nepal runs slightly darker.
Herbin’s description states that Kyanite is “one of the two minerals on the planet that neither accumulates nor retains negative energy” and “is believed to promote positive communication and encourage self-expression,” (if you’re into that whole healing-crystal thing). I will say that this is a very bright and happy color, and one that I’d actually consider using regularly. It also dries relatively quickly, and I didn’t experience any smearing after the ink had dried, something that had caused trouble with other Herbin shimmer inks, particularly the 1670 lineup.
Side note: Did I mention how much I love these little glass Herbin sample bottles? They hold about 10ml of ink, and you can actually purchase their standard ink line in this size. Perfect for testing colors! I have a handful that I’ve picked up from Vanness over the last couple of years.
Takeaways and Where to Buy
Though they may not make their way into my regular rotation, I’ve always had a soft spot for Herbin’s shimmer inks. Kyanite du Nepal, in my opinion, is one of the best-looking to come out in recent years, and I find inks with silver shimmer, as opposed to gold, easier to use on an everyday basis since the effect is more subtle. Navigating these inks can be somewhat confusing - the 1670 inks are the original shimmer inks released by Herbin, and have gold shimmer; the 1798 inks are a more recent addition and have the silver shimmer pictured here.
As with the other Herbin 1670 and 1798 inks, you should be able to purchase Kyanite du Nepal from most mainstream pen retailers, though if the ink gets popular I have no idea how much Herbin plans to ship and how regularly the distributors will be able to replenish stock. Pen Chalet and Vanness Pens both currently have this ink available for pre-order. Although there have been availability issues with Herbin inks in the past, the introduction of new lines of shimmer inks from Robert Oster, Diamine, and others will likely cut down on the ink hoarding, so if you want a bottle, I’d be surprised if you couldn’t get one at the time of release.
If the look of this ink interests you, check out my past reviews of other inks in the 1798 and 1670 series, including 1670 Emerald of Chivor, 1670 Caroube de Chypre, 1798 Amethyse de L’Oural, and 1798 Cornaline d’Egypte.
Disclaimer: Exaclair, Herbin’s U.S. distributor, sent me a sample of this ink free of charge, for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated for this review. This post contains affiliate links.