Diamine Inkvent 2025: Day 16 — Ruby Taffeta
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*Please note that the scan is the accurate representation of this color.
Day 16!
Welcome to day 16! Today, we’re looking at Ruby Taffeta.
The Color and Properties
Ruby Taffeta is a chameleon ink. It contains shimmering particulates that change color depending on the lighting and angle at which the ink is viewed. The base color is a deep, saturated red that shades into a slightly darker, more brown-toned red. It shades with a soft gradient in cursive and a soft cut when writing in print. There’s also a minor golden sheen that you’ll mostly see around the edges of shaded areas; however, it can be difficult to see beneath the shimmer. While a variety of colors can appear through the chameleon shimmers, I mostly observed green, yellow, and pink.
Ink splat
Ink droplets
Performance | Cleaning
Rhodia
Leuchtturm
Ruby Taffeta was well-behaved, and I didn’t notice any traces of bleeding or feathering on any of the pages I used it with. The ink had a medium flow, and it mostly performed well, but there was a clog when testing it with the fine nib. The other nibs were fine, however, and I didn’t run into any performance issues when testing with them. The lubrication is okay; it’s comfortable enough, but it’s not as slick as I would have expected. As for the shimmer, it has excellent distribution throughout the writing, and it didn’t need a lot of agitation to keep flowing.
When cleaning, I was able to get most of the base color out of the pen with ease; however, there was a lot of remaining red residue around the nib units that I needed a soft toothbrush to help get out, as soaking wasn’t enough. This same residue can be seen above where the nib units thread into the barrel of the pen. There was also some light shimmer left over inside the barrel of the pen and along the piston crown that needed disassembly to fully clean out.
Writing Samples
Written on 52 gsm Tomoe River paper (white, 7mm ruling) with a medium nib.
Written on Midori MD paper (cream, 7mm ruling), with a medium nib.
Taken in lower, single sided lighting to better showcase the shimmer.
My personal thoughts…
Upon swatching Ruby Taffeta, I knew right away I was excited to get to the rest of this review! The strong red base color is right up my alley, and the chameleon shimmer complements it well. It reminds me a little of Spiced Apple, which was another Inkvent favorite from the Green calendar. So, what is a Taffeta and how does that relate to Inkvent?
Taffeta is a fabric known for its crisp texture and stunning sheen. It’s commonly used in formal attire (such as gowns and wedding dresses), but can also be used decoratively. Its elegant appearance makes it a popular material choice for the holiday season, most often seen in red, green, and red/green plaid. That’s what makes Ruby Taffeta so brilliant! The chameleon shimmer often shines green, and it makes for an excellent likeness to its namesake. Elegant, luxurious, and festive — perfect.
Written on 52 gsm Tomoe River paper with a medium nib.
More Images/Info:
Featured in the photography and writing samples:
Diamine Ruby Taffeta
TWSBI Diamond 580, medium nib
Traveler’s Company “Have a Nice Trip” brass clip — Endless Pens | Amazon
Nanami Paper Tomoe River Cafe Note B6 Slim - Ruled
Midori MD A6 lined notebook — Amazon
Current text: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens — Amazon
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Tools and materials used in the writing samples:
A TWSBI Diamond 580 AL with 3 nib units including a Fine, Medium, and Broad. All nibs are tuned to perform at the same wetness.
A Rhodia No16 A5 DotPad
A Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebook