EFNIR: Diamine Aqua Blue

[LizEF]

Extra Fine Nib Ink Review: Diamine Aqua Blue

This is review #359 in my series. Here's the YouTube video:

Post-recording notes: As of this video, the swatch comparison is a little different so that the swatches can still be seen when you pause the video (and YT piles junk over the bottom of the video).

This ink was gifted to me by a generous FPNer. And it's yet another "same as everyone else" colors - they just didn't call it "turquoise", unlike everyone else. The microscope slide could not have been more boring if it had made small talk while playing elevator music.

When wet, you get lots of shading, but it flattens as it dries - in varying degrees, depending on the paper. While this color usually sheens, I didn't see any from this nib.

Cleaning was quick and easy with plain water.

Zoomed in photo (Color's a little off, but nothing I could do made it better.)

Screenshot (Might actually be closest. Might also be a little too blue.)

Scan of Completed Review (Text seems a little too far to the green side, but again, nothing I did made it better.)

Absorbent Paper Close-up (top is puzzle paper like thick newsprint, bottom is old 20lb copy paper) (AP: A little too neon. Otherwise, both are fairly close to what I see.)

Line width (The "I" in "Ink:". Magnification is 100x. The grid is 100x100µm. The scale is 330µm, with eleven divisions of 30µm each. The line width for this ink is roughly 338µm. With 359 inks measured, the average line width is 298µm.)

Swatch card comparison (Colors are close to what I see.)

Previous Review: Rohrer & Klingner Verdura.

Images also available on Instagram: @zilxodarap.

Want to influence the inky sequence? Take the "next ink" poll.

View a list of my inks, complete with review results in a google sheet.

Need to catch up on The Adventures of Quin and Makhabesh? Find the whole story here.

Hope you enjoy. Comments appreciated!

[Sailor Kenshin]

Thanks, @LizEF!  I have nearly all your comparison inks, and the groaning may be due to my not having the MB.
 

 I may even have had a sample of the Aqua at one point.  It's all a blur from here…I tend to get impatient and pour samples into a bigger bottle.

 

Love the story!  We had a nor'easter blow in, so I'm shivering along with our heroes.  💨

[LizEF]

12 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Thanks, @LizEF!

You're very welcome!

 

12 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I have nearly all your comparison inks, and the groaning may be due to my not having the MB.

It's such a common color, it would be hard not to have at least one.  I don't recall being overly impressed by the MB one - and I think it's at least a special edition, if not limited, and so surely cost more than it's worth.  

 

13 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I may even have had a sample of the Aqua at one point.  It's all a blur from here…I tend to get impatient and pour samples into a bigger bottle.

 If I hadn't made a database to deal with all this, I wouldn't have any clue what I do and don't have - at this point, I have to look it up at least half the time.  And if a certain package arrives safely, I'll jump from 490 inks in the database (only 335 "in stock") to 612 (or 457)!   I'll be reviewing until Quin has grandchildren!

 

20 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Love the story!  We had a nor'easter blow in, so I'm shivering along with our heroes.  💨

Thanks!   Yeah, it's that time of year when you start feeling cold radiating from the window panes.    (At least the yard work will soon be over - whether I finish or not! )

[yazeh]

Great review @LizEF .

Enjoyed this colour  on this cool, grey autumn day.

It's fun when I can see the ink colour in the story: the sky was aqua blue, when a magical, malefic blizzard appeared out of the nowhere..

Question: Why didn't Quin erect a magical tent, instead of shield? 😎

Finally, I appreciate how you changed the swatch video segment. Now I can pause it, and enjoy a sea of different turquoises.  

But without a shadow of a doubt, what I most enjoyed was your dry wit about the microscopic image. Feel free to indulge in it, more.

 

 

 

 

[LizEF]

9 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Great review @LizEF .

Thanks!

 

9 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Enjoyed this colour  on this cool, grey autumn day.

It is a nice summer color - to cool you down in summer, or remind you of summer's warmth otherwise. :D

 

11 minutes ago, yazeh said:

It's fun when I can see the ink colour in the story: the sky was aqua blue, when a magical, malefic blizzard appeared out of the nowhere..

  Yes, and being a cold blue, it goes just as well with winter!

 

11 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Question: Why didn't Quin erect a magical tent, instead of shield? 😎

It seems Vika's power is weaker on the ice, so they couldn't make a large enough shield (tent of magic) to surround them.  And Quin's tent actually does magically pop up on command, and collapse on command, too, but he had to anchor it himself, lest the wind rip it away and he lose the tent altogether.  Clearly they need to add an "anchoring spell" to future models! In the end, he had to hold onto it with both hands to keep it from blowing away before he could climb inside. (Ordinarily, he would pound in the tent spikes at the four corners and then command the tent to expand itself. The blizzard was so strong and sudden that he had no real options other than to hold on and climb in and use his own weight to keep the tent in place - it's a very small tent.)

 

19 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Finally, I appreciate how you changed the swatch video segment. Now I can pause it, and enjoy a sea of different turquoises. 

 You're most welcome.  But I fear it may all be in vain.  YT have changed the GUI and what happens when you pause on their website.  I suspect it's only a matter of time before they roll that out to embedded videos as well.  Either I'll be able to go back to the old way (which is logistically easier) or recommended videos will be smack in the middle of the screen - hard to say at this point (I'm not sure they're done with the changes to the website).

 

24 minutes ago, yazeh said:

But without a shadow of a doubt, what I most enjoyed was your dry wit about the microscopic image. Feel free to indulge in it, more.

 I had to go back and look because I couldn't remember what I'd said. I think most of the time I'm just in assembly-line mode, but I'll try to remember to let my snarkiness snark more often...  

[yazeh]

@LizEF than for the Quin explanations. I'm assuming he has to screw the tent to the ice. 

I noticed some changes in the video too. Now that you publish the swatches separately, the video arrangement can return to whatever that makes your life easier.

I like the snarky humor. It's quite fun. I understand what you say about assembly line. It's fun when the snarky disrupts the assembly line. Bring her on.

 

 

 

 

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

@LizEF than for the Quin explanations. I'm assuming he has to screw the tent to the ice. 

 You're welcome.  He has to either find some way to anchor it, or be the anchor. 

 

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

I noticed some changes in the video too. Now that you publish the swatches separately, the video arrangement can return to whatever that makes your life easier.

Well, I'll keep things how they are as of this video until and unless YT screw things up.  The only thing I changed was the position of the swatch cards vs the Pantone color card.

 

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

I like the snarky humor. It's quite fun. I understand what you say about assembly line. It's fun when the snarky disrupts the assembly line. Bring her on.

   I won't restrain myself, but I can't promise my brain will come up with amusing comments that often...  We'll see.

[inkstainedruth]

@LizEF On my screen, this seems to be very close to vintage Skrip Peacock in color.  So my interest is definitely piqued.  Of course, between *still* paying down the replaced driveway, having the plumbing in our entire house completely redone, (including replacing the vanity and faucet in the main bathroom), plus installing a home vac system; coughing up a big amount of money for the hotel room when we go to my husband's nephew's wedding, and OPS coming up in about 2-1/2 weeks, buying MORE ink isn't really in the cards at the moment.... 

So thanks as usual for the review.  And, well, not....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[LizEF]

17 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

@LizEF On my screen, this seems to be very close to vintage Skrip Peacock in color.

It probably is.  I'm tellin' ya, they all make the same ink!    It's a conspiracy!  The Turquoise Ink Conspiracy!  (Maybe this will be Quin's next adventure.)

 

19 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

So my interest is definitely piqued.

Your interest can be satisfied via any number of different bottles all containing the same ink...

 

20 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Of course, between *still* paying down the replaced driveway, having the plumbing in our entire house completely redone, (including replacing the vanity and faucet in the main bathroom), plus installing a home vac system; coughing up a big amount of money for the hotel room when we go to my husband's nephew's wedding, and OPS coming up in about 2-1/2 weeks, buying MORE ink isn't really in the cards at the moment.... 

I have really, really good news for you!  Go to your ink stash, find Waterman Inspired Blue or Pelikan 4001 Turquoise or Lamy Turquoise - or whatever turquoise - and you won't have to spend a dime!

 

21 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

So thanks as usual for the review.  And, well, not....

You're most welcome!  And, well, you're welcome!   

[yazeh]

11 minutes ago, LizEF said:

   I won't restrain myself, but I can't promise my brain will come up with amusing comments that often...  We'll see.

It has to come out natural. Some inks don't deserve that.

[InesF]

One's preference for pale blue inks doesn't last forever, it just seems so. --- answer to Ray Bradbury.

Ink preferences change over the years, and so do fountain pen fills with pale blue inks.   

 

Thank you, @LizEF, for this ink review , for introducing snowstorms ❄️ that are the same nasty as sandstorms and for proving "all turquoise inks are made from only one dye".  

 

The Turquoise Conspiracy? 🤫 - when can we pre-order your book, @LizEF?  

[Signum1]

Beautiful turquoise blue. I really enjoy this colour from all the ink companies. My nibs love them all. LoL....

 

Thanks for the wonderful ink review. A video just adds another dimension to a nib in.... motion. 👍

[LizEF]

4 hours ago, InesF said:

One's preference for pale blue inks doesn't last forever, it just seems so. --- answer to Ray Bradbury.

 

4 hours ago, InesF said:

Ink preferences change over the years, and so do fountain pen fills with pale blue inks.   

 Indeed!  Thankfully, there are inks for every mood, and they wait patiently on the shelf for their turn!

 

4 hours ago, InesF said:

Thank you, @LizEF, for this ink review , for introducing snowstorms ❄️ that are the same nasty as sandstorms and for proving "all turquoise inks are made from only one dye".  

 You're most welcome!

 

4 hours ago, InesF said:

The Turquoise Conspiracy? 🤫 - when can we pre-order your book, @LizEF?  

 I'll have to get back to you on that!

[LizEF]

2 hours ago, Signum1 said:

Beautiful turquoise blue. I really enjoy this colour from all the ink companies. My nibs love them all. LoL....

 

2 hours ago, Signum1 said:

Thanks for the wonderful ink review. A video just adds another dimension to a nib in.... motion. 👍

You're most welcome!   I decided to do videos after noting that the reviews which most accurately reflect the color I see in person happened to be in video format, and even the still from the same reviewer didn't seem quite as accurate as his videos.  My conclusion was that I should do the same.

[knarflj]

20 hours ago, LizEF said:

I have really, really good news for you!  Go to your ink stash, find Waterman Inspired Blue or Pelikan 4001 Turquoise or Lamy Turquoise - or whatever turquoise - and you won't have to spend a dime!

 

I bought this ink years ago after finishing a bottle of 4001 Turquoise and deciding to change things up just a little.  It didn't take long before I decided I really needed a new bottle of the Pelikan.   I still have and use both of them, but if I ever finish the bottle of Aqua Blue, I am unlikely to replace it.  It's a nice enough ink, but just doesn't seem to have a lot of character.

 

Thanks as always for the review and the story, @LizEF!

[LizEF]

2 hours ago, knarflj said:

I bought this ink years ago after finishing a bottle of 4001 Turquoise and deciding to change things up just a little.  It didn't take long before I decided I really needed a new bottle of the Pelikan.   I still have and use both of them, but if I ever finish the bottle of Aqua Blue, I am unlikely to replace it.  It's a nice enough ink, but just doesn't seem to have a lot of character.

 Yep, that's a good summation.

 

2 hours ago, knarflj said:

Thanks as always for the review and the story, @LizEF!

You're most welcome!  

[inkstainedruth]

On 10/14/2025 at 6:58 PM, LizEF said:

I have really, really good news for you!  Go to your ink stash, find Waterman Inspired Blue or Pelikan 4001 Turquoise or Lamy Turquoise - or whatever turquoise - and you won't have to spend a dime!

LoL!  Except of course that I HAVE a bottle of Waterman Inspired Blue which I picked up a while back at a pen show (I think it was last spring at B/W) because I couldn't find a backup bottle of Mysterious Blue at the time. And honestly?  That ink didn't really wow me at ALL (and I LOVE Mysterious Blue and Tender Purple and am hoarding my (half empty at this point) bottle of Absolute Brown -- cannot BELIEVE they discontinued that one -- and kinda like Serenity Blue but don't use it all that much (I have a lot of other "standard" blue inks).

And of course transferred the contents of the big bottle of Skrip Peacock into smaller eye-dropper cap bottles and did the same thing with the 2/3 full big bottle of vintage Quink Permanent Violet.

But just got hit with another big expense -- the stack to the second and third floor bathrooms is so rusted and corroded that it's going to have to be replaced as well as all the rest of the lines.  So it's like suddenly the cost of replacing the driveway last year DOUBLING because the guy who gave us the estimate told us we could just run some of the concrete up the side of the slope -- only when the crew came to start the work, we got told, "No -- you need to have a retaining wall installed!"  🤬🤬🤬

As for the plumbing work?  The new stack will probably double or triple the cost of THAT work.  And our savings are probably just going to go "poof" in a puff of smoke.  AND my husband is already talking about retiring in the next year -- and he JUST made noises about how we should have had a house BUILT when we moved back down here from Massachusetts (only of course he's the one who didn't want to be in "a plan in Cranberry" -- Cranberry being mostly solid suburbia about 20 minutes north and in the next county -- and the irony is that he had one job when we moved back down here where he was commuting to and from Cranberry -- but going the opposite direction from most of the traffic so it wasn't a PITA...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, inkstainedruth said:

I picked up a while back at a pen show (I think it was last spring at B/W) because I couldn't find a backup bottle of Mysterious Blue at the time. And honestly?  That ink didn't really wow me at ALL

Then Aqua Blue would likely disappoint you.

 

1 hour ago, inkstainedruth said:

But just got hit with another big expense -- the stack to the second and third floor bathrooms is so rusted and corroded that it's going to have to be replaced as well as all the rest of the lines.

As a house ages, the occupants soon realize why some people decide to move every 10-20 years (if not more frequently).

 

Sorry for the ongoing maintenance expenses.  Hope you find good and honest contractors!

[inkstainedruth]

Well, the plumbers were recommended by our next door neighbors, so that's a plus.  Not gonna be cheap, though.  And of course once all the plumbing work is done, then we have to have people come in to redo the walls and ceilings in the front hallway and the front corner of the living room next to that (but the insurance will mostly cover that part).

When we first bought the house, we hired a friend who was a professional engineer and he took one look at the fuse boxes in the basement and said, "Do NOT sleep under this roof until the wiring has been done!"  Unfortunately the guy HE recommended (who oversaw the work when he and his wife bought a fixer-upper at the city's housing auction) wasn't available.  And the guy who was recommended by my husband's co-worker turned out to be AWFUL.  One of my husband's brothers (who was an electrical engineer) went around testing the outlets along the long wall in the living room and was going, "This is wrong, this is wong..." and when an inspector came out to look at the (new) circuit breaker boxes and told the guy that the secondary box was wired BACKWARDS and the electrician was PO'd that he would have to re-do it all.  And right after that, we were having lunch at my husband's office and the guy who'd recommended him came in and was complaining that he needed work done at his house and "his" electrician was tied up at OUR house and we made growly noises at him and he backed away REALLY fast....

The people who are going to replace the stack are coming IIRC on Tuesday.  Most of the other plumbing work is I think done at this point (they brought the new vanity in and hooked up the sink, but had to cut down some of the bump outs in the tile where there were little cubby holes for stuff like cups).  And we still have to install the knobs on the drawers for the new unit (not sure where the old unit and faucet has ended up -- whether they moved it or took it out to the curb, or what) because I had to run out to get air in the tires for the Prius -- the cold snap did a number on them (fortunately the air pump at the gas station connected to the big grocery store one exit up from ours on the interstate was working today, so I didn't have to go to the Sheetz on the other side of the highway the way I did the last time I needed to pump up the tires...).

But of course, we're still paying off the new driveway, which was done last spring (and the retaining wall that doubled the price of the original estimate....  And then there's the obscenely high price for a hotel room this weekend for my husband's nephew's wedding....

And my husband wonders why I tend to NOT stay at the "site" hotels for pen shows.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[LizEF]

Best wishes, @inkstainedruth!  I know the frustrations and hope yours are as minimal as can be.