Chesterfield Antique Jade

[majolo]

This is my first attempted ink review, so please let me know if there's anything unclear, and I apologize for imperfect scans and handwriting.

 

Chesterfield is a line of inks sold through xfountainpens.com. They are understood to be made by Diamine, but their unit prices are significantly lower than I find for Diamine at most online retailers (I am in the US). Xfountainpens sells them in Nalgene bottles in volumes of 25, 50, or 100ml.

 

Many of the Chesterfield inks are believed to be identical to inks in the regular Diamine line-up, but those with "Antique" in the name are believed to be unique to the Chesterfield label. Antique Jade had a nice sage-green-grey look in the sample online, so I ordered 50 ml. I've been using it in an uncommon pen (a Ranga Slim Bamboo with a custom ground broad cursive italic nib), so I inked up a more common pen (Jinhao 159) as well so people may have a better comparison. Here are some writing samples on a few different papers.

 

Based on the comparison, I was starting to believe that Antique Jade was indeed the same ink as Diamine Graphite. But chromatography showed a surprise hiding!

 

 

On a paper towel, with some water, a delicate cerulean halo comes out of the Antique Jade (and the central core is a warmer, slightly earth-toned grey), while the graphite looks more uniform in its pigment(s). So! Antique Jade does appear to be distinct from the regular Diamine line (but I will emphasize that in actual use it is nearly indistinguishable).

 

Summary:

Chesterfield Antique Jade is a wet-flowing, well-behaved, dark grey-green ink, extremely similar to Diamine Graphite. It is also very affordable. One downside not mentioned yet is the Nalgene bottles it is sold in: they are pretty unattractive if you like pretty bottles, but also they are too narrow-necked to be practical (~14mm inner diameter). So I'm currently pipetting my fills into a sample vial, and plan to decant the rest into a more usable spare bottle.

 

[Luma]

Not sure why but I'm digging this color. Thanks for the review

[OCArt]

Thanks for doing this review. Like you I had heard that eh inks with "the Antique in the name are believed to be unique to the Chesterfield label."

I was using Diamine Damson at the same time I reviewed Chesterfield Antique Orchid and they certainly seem the same and look the same (A nice color BTW)

My suspicion is that Antique Jade is Diamine Salamander. At any rate it bears more study and I have enjoyed using all of my Chesterfield inks.

[majolo]

Thanks for doing this review. Like you I had heard that eh inks with "the Antique in the name are believed to be unique to the Chesterfield label."

I was using Diamine Damson at the same time I reviewed Chesterfield Antique Orchid and they certainly seem the same and look the same (A nice color BTW)

My suspicion is that Antique Jade is Diamine Salamander. At any rate it bears more study and I have enjoyed using all of my Chesterfield inks.

 

Interesting, I'll get a sample of Salamander next chance and check them.

[The Good Captain]

Personally, I think this is a bit greyer than Salamander.

[lapis]

I'd say so too.

 

Hugh

[Gloucesterman]

Thanks for an excellent review. Well done and provided me with good information and perspective.

 

I bought this ink along with Antique Orchid and Antique Slate from xFountain Pens (no affiliation, simply credit where it's due) several weeks ago After a false start (kind of weak in a dipped writing sample) I put it into an Esterbrook SJ with a 9460 nib.

 

More and more I am liking it and will probably keep and use it fairly often. It starts off a little darker, in this pen, and then levels out slightly lighter. I find that using it on whiter paper seems to make it appear more faded. I am using it in a vintage small notebook where the pages are off-white and it appears consistently darker and more readable.

[alwaysmetara]

I got this ink as well from xFountainPens, I really like this color but it always seems rather watery to me. I have to use it in a wet pen and due to it being so lubricated the ink actually stands up on the page

But when it dries it's so pretty that I keep putting it back into my pens.

 

Also, I think I've read somewhere that the Antique line is xFountainPens mixing different Diamine inks, that might explain why the chromatography looks like that.

[majolo]

Got my sample of Diamine Salamander, and that is definitely more brown than Antique Jade is.

 

[Oldtimer]

I ordered the smaller bottle recently and I am delighted with this ink. I think I will. Order the bigger bottle when it is at a bargain price. I already have Mahogany, Emeral and Amethyst from Chesterfield and I use them for my practice, specially amethuyst which I don'tlike that much for formal writing. The emerald is my daily ink for marking my notes and Mahogany is very formal and serious and elegant.

Antique Jade is an Ink I would use daily for everything. Right now for sketches and drawings since I am retired and don't have a need for writing as I used to. Lovely ink! I think it merits my testing on a 1.9 mm Lamy nib or music nib for shading.

 

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i82/anangeli/Chinese%20Pens/0d8a8955e3dee3d844a9925677cde083_zpswqvid3vn.jpg

Closeup

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i82/anangeli/Chinese%20Pens/Thesunroom_0713_zpsu0phn86t.jpg

Edited March 8, 2016 by Berelleza