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Help Me Pick An Ink For A Love Letter


3nding

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Hi everyone!

 

I haven't posted in a while because I was very satisfied with my current ink and pen setup and was a bit afraid of spending too much money on things I don't really need if I kept coming back here (as we all though). However, last weekend, I met this amazing, amazing girl who was visiting here and we basically spent the whole weekend together. Now she went back to the city where she lives and we decided to keep in touch even though she said she isn't very good at long distance relationship. Anyway, long story short, we have been talking over Messenger but I wanted to do something a bit more romantic and write her a letter.

 

I am currently trying to pick the proper ink to do the trick. 99% of the time when I write, I use Noodler's Black but I didn't know if black was a bit too cold and informal for a love letter? On my shelf, in terms of non-blacks, I only have J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage, Sheaffer Skrip Blue and Pelikan Royal Blue. Would any of those do the trick? Should I buy something else? Or should I just stick with my proven friend, Noodler's Black?

 

Thank you all very much in advance!

Edited by 3nding
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I think getting a letter, much less a love letter, would so amaze her that she won't care about the color ink.

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Out of what you have I would pick J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage, but a soft brown does sound appealing, like a sepia, or ochre colored ink. When I was in college, I wrote love letters/poems to my as of yet wife in Diamine Violet. But, I also agree that a love letter no matter the ink color would work just as well...

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Noodler's Blue Ghost? Love may be in the air, but it takes special eyes (or special light) to see it.

 

(Even though Blue Ghost is 'invisible ink' that cannot be seen except under special lighting, it's also meant to be 'bulletproof' and does not fade or deteriorate easily.)

 

p.s. If I was writing a 'love' letter or note to my fiancée, I'd use a purple ink because that's her favourite colour (range). It's as simple as that. She's not into reds and pinks, so it wouldn't matter what the world at large thinks are the connotations of those colours.

 

Edit: added missing negator

Edited by A Smug Dill

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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Diamine wild strawberry, perhaps? It's a lovely red ink.

 

J Herbin's Violette pensée is a nice purple shade.

 

I'd avoid black - too funereal, unless of course she's a goth.

 

A soft brown would be nice. I have Waterman's Havana Brown which is a nice brown, but it is very wet - so you will need to choose your paper carefully.

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Sounds like a great excuse to acquire more ink! That being said, anything but black ink would seem appropriate.

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oh gosh, who cares what ink?

 

I have never cared about what color the words were that were written to me: they go down the gullet all the same.

 

:)

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Another vote here for a red-family ink. I'd vote for Iroshizuku Yama-budo or De Atramentis Red Roses (okay, unless she lives next door she's not going to get the full effect of the incredibly wonderful sent, but it's a lovely color -- ranging from deep magenta-pink to red violet, depending on the nib).

If you're worrying about water resistance, look at Noodler's Park Red, which leans just a tad pinker than a true red.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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I think the most well-received colour would depend entirely on the recipient! If you don't know what her favourite colour is, though, I'd pick a colour that would remind her of the weekend you spent together. Did you see anything special, like the sea, or a building, or a museum? Does any colour from that experience strike out at you? Then use that colour! :-)

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Events may be horrible or inescapable. Men always have a choice - if not whether, then how they endure.


- Lois McMaster Bujold

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You didn't mention whether or not she shares any of your interests in writing and fountain pens. This might be relevant for your choice. Do you know here favourite colour? That would make it easy of course. Second best would be a colour that relates to you or what you experienced together. But I think that black would be the worst choice of all most likely.

 

Some here think it doesn't matter because a letter will be so special by itself. Maybe. But even thinking about the ink colour tells a lot about you and how seriously you take this endeavour. Pulling through and getting a special colour has a good chance to get noticed and appreciated even more. My experience is that many women register and value very subtle details that would go completely unnoticed by most men.

 

Good luck!

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Avoid red if she's of Asian origin. ;)

Edited by Astron
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Hi 3nding,

 

If you can swing a new bottle of ink...

 

...go for J. Herbin Poussiere de Lune or Robert Oster's 1980s Pink.

 

Don't use black... not for a love letter... unless you're a couple of Goths. :)

 

Be well... and best wishes for success. :thumbup:

 

 

- Anthony

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Totally forgot to mention: I'd try also to use a top quality letter paper to make it even more special. Attention to detail usually is appreciated.

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'She isn't very good at long distance relationships.'

 

Be careful.

 

Looking for a black SJ Transitional Esterbrook Pen. (It's smaller than an sj)

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Don't use red; while it might seem like an intuitive choice, it's just too aggressive in writing. Red undertones, however, are what you're looking for.

  • J. Herbin Poussière de Lune: My #1 ink and recommendation, it looks dreamy and romantic, shades delicately and is well-behaved.
  • Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Bordeaux: The colour is virtually indistinguishable from the above, but it shades more (and more dramatically) and flows wetter (and is cheaper).
  • Diamine Oxblood: I know I advised against red, but this one is so dark that it might pass as a red-leaning brown when used in an appropriately wet nib.
  • J. Herbin Lie de Thé: A warm brown, not as unmistakably romantic as red/violet, but it certainly conveys warmth. Perhaps the better choice if you feel red might be too much for a first love letter (don't mean to insert myself into your personal life, but you know each other for a very short time yet).
  • Rohrer & Klingner Sepia: Not a warm brown, but it's a wonderful substitute black, a last resort, I'd say, if all the other choices fail.

Upon another note, a dark green might also be nice. However, in some cultures it has a specific, not too positive, meaning as a letter colour, so careful.

  • Sailor Jentle Tokiwa-Matsu: A beautiful dark green, lots of gradient shading when used in a drier nib, and lots of sheen when laid down moderately wet. It's not "in your face" in any way; if I may get poetic, I'd say it doesn't take center stage on the page but lets the writing run the show and only elegantly highlights its quality from the wings.
  • Diamine Classic Green: The budget alternative for the above. When I squint and turn my head upside down, it looks slightly murkier, and it certainly sheens less readily (but it sheens), but other than that, same exact colour.

As for paper, use very good quality one in A5 size (not A4!) and a matching envelope. Clairefontaine Triomphe is the absolute top contender here.

 

Good luck! :)

 

 

Dominique

Edited by by_a_Lady

Snail Mail


(fluent in SK, CZ, DE, EN


currently learning EO, JP, NL)

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p.s. If I was writing a 'love' letter or note to my fiancée, I'd use a purple ink because that's her favourite colour (range). It's as simple as that. She's not into reds and pinks, so it would matter what the world at large thinks are the connotations of those colours.

 

I think the most well-received colour would depend entirely on the recipient! If you don't know what her favourite colour is, though, I'd pick a colour that would remind her of the weekend you spent together. Did you see anything special, like the sea, or a building, or a museum? Does any colour from that experience strike out at you? Then use that colour! :-)

 

You didn't mention whether or not she shares any of your interests in writing and fountain pens. This might be relevant for your choice. Do you know here favourite colour? That would make it easy of course. Second best would be a colour that relates to you or what you experienced together. But I think that black would be the worst choice of all most likely.

 

Some here think it doesn't matter because a letter will be so special by itself. Maybe. But even thinking about the ink colour tells a lot about you and how seriously you take this endeavour. Pulling through and getting a special colour has a good chance to get noticed and appreciated even more. My experience is that many women register and value very subtle details that would go completely unnoticed by most men.

 

Good luck!

 

Just wanted to add that these are much better advice (if you can apply it) than what everyone else has given you. If you can't apply it, and have no other ideas how to circumvent that, I'd say take a look at the classic rules of correspondence and adapt them (they're unusable as-is) to your needs - just so you have some point of reference to go back to when you're stuck.

 

 

Dominique

Snail Mail


(fluent in SK, CZ, DE, EN


currently learning EO, JP, NL)

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J Herbin Rouge Opera is a red with a touch of pink in it.

 

I’d say of what you own the Lierre Sauvage because it isn’t the standard blue and black inks of the ballpoint pen world. Plus it’s Spring, so green seems fitting. But it’s truly your words that matter.

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Noodlers black swan in australian roses.

 

Classy.

 

My wife likes turquoise, so she gets sailor yama dori.

Edited by Honeybadgers

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

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