Diamine Vermillion looks like vermillion so I subconsciously avoid touching it.
Pelikan M620 18K F-nib Shanghai
Black u. Red notebook
no feathering, no bleedthrough.
For reference I've included some other inks in the scan.

Wow! That's an impressive color match.
I didn't know that vermilion was another name for the color of cinnabar (mercury II sulfide according to Wikipedia).
Thanks for the education!

Whoa I totally didn't notice where I posted this. Sorry. I guess someone already moved it to the right place.

wow, this color seems a lot brighter than I'd expected.. is the scan showing that correctly?

This is an awesome colour, and the closest thing by far I have seen to my holy grail of inks: a true cadmium red. In the world of painter's pigments, cadmium replaced cinnabar as a "safer" alternative to making this shade. It is my favourite red, but most ink makers seem to favour the crimson reds.

How is the water resistance on this ink?

No. Although I'd say it's pretty bright, it's not as bright as it looks in the scan. If you're familiar with American Blue or Widowmaker, you can sort of estimate how Diamine Vermillion looks.


Water resistance is naught. Within seconds, the ink vanishes off the page. It's the most fleeting fountain pen ink I know of, even more than American Blue, which many know to be an especially ephemeral ink. Below is a scan. Left of the margin rule is where I dipped it in water.

Wow! What a great red! You know, I never cease to be amazed by Diamine's inks - bright beautiful colors combined with amazing smoothness. Unfortunately, this red is a bit too bright to be practical IMHO, but I could see it working well for grading or proofing things


Edited for grammar