Description
J. Herbin uses all natural dyes in their fountain pen inks. This natural composition is reflected in the very neutral pH of the inks. The inks come in bottles of 10ml.
From the beginning, J. Herbin distinguished itself from its competitors by offering a wide range of colors for the fountain pen inks. In 2007, 4 new colors were introduced which brought a total of 30 references of various colors. The names chosen for each color are very poetic to preserve the originality of the brand and as a French tradition.
Gris nuage (Cloud gray): a light gray resembling a cloudy sky at sea slightly darkening before the storm. This color also represents the journeys taken at sea by J. Herbin when traveling to India.
Perle noire (Black Pearl): the black ink was the first created by J. Herbin, with an exceptional quality. He gave it the name “Perle Noire” for its preciousness.
Bleu azur (Azure blue): a frank blue for a wandering mind, a dream, an escape to the seas and the Caribbean beaches. A fresh and young color, a reminder of the holidays.
Bleu pervenche (Blue periwinkle): named after the flower of that very same name.
Bleu myosotis (“Forget-me-not” blue): named after the flower of that very same name. Based on the famous legend, a knight and his lady were taking a walk along the river. He bent over to pick up a flower for his lady but lost his balance with the weight of its armor and fell into the river. While drowning he threw the flower at his lady screaming “Forget-me-not”.
Thanks to that legend the myosotis had become the symbol of memory and remembrance. The bleu myosotis is also the closest color to the standard and traditional blue ink used by every French pupil.
Eclat de saphir (Sapphire blue): sapphire is a gemstone. The terminology probably comes from 2 origins: the Greek with “sappheiros” (a stone of blue color) or from the Hebrew “sappir” (the most beautiful thing).
This color is a reminder of J. Herbin and his work at the most prestigious royal courts of Europe.
Bleu nuit (Midnight blue): this is the darkest color after the « perle noire » ink. A color symbol of the sky at night when bursting with stars in the summertime.
Rouge caroubier (Carob seed red): the caroubier is a tree measuring from 5 to 7 meters and can reach 15 meters exceptionally. It is cultivated for its fruit, the carob.
Rouge bourgogne (Red burgundy): this red with a shade of rose is a reference to the French wine of the Burgundy region. These highly renowned wines are soft with a bold color, aromas of red berry, spices, musty forest …
Vert pré (Green prairie): a very fresh green for the spring season, the color of the prairie and the new grass growing right after the end of winter.
Diabolo menthe (Mint lemonade green or Peppermint soda): the name comes from a popular non-alcoholic French beverage made of peppermint syrup and club soda.
Vert olive (Green olive): the color refers to the olive tree, a Mediterranean tree which provides olive oil.
In France, the olive tree is a symbol of the summer holidays, the cicadas and the popular novels of that region from the renowned writer Marcel Pagnol.
Lierre sauvage (Wild ivy green): a very subtle green symbol of nature but also anarchy. Wild ivy is found on the façade of houses and grows without being invited.
Vert réséda (Green reseda or Green mignonette): reseda is a plant famous for its delightful fragrance.
Vert empire (Green Empire): this color represents the proclamation of Napoleon Bonaparte on December 2nd 1804 as the French Emperor at the cathedral Notre-Dame in Paris. Napoleon Bonaparte famously crowned himself Emperor taking the imperial crown (the laurel crown) from the hands of Pope Pie VII to put it on his head. He then crowned his wife Josephine Empress. This scene is depicted in the painting by Jacques-Louis David, Le Sacre de Napoléon (The Coronation of Napoleon).
It was a tradition among the Greeks and the Romans to crown the poets and the winners with a laurel wreath.
In the Middle-Ages it was also a tradition to crown the distinguished scholars at the university with a laurel wreath.
Ambre de Birmanie (Amber of Burma): amber is a fossilized tree resin mainly used as ornaments in the jewelry industry. Worn as jewelry since Antiquity, it was simply added onto a metal chain or skillfully crafted as a pendant.
Lie de thé (Brown tea): subtle brown with soft shades whose name symbolizes the tea from Orient.
Cacao du Brésil (Brazillian brown cocoa): a name symbol of the exotism of the South- American continent and the bitterness of cocoa bean.
Café des îles (Island coffee): a light brown color reminder of the great coffee smell enjoyed at the terrace of a café in a far away island.
Terre de feu (Tierra Del Fuego or Land of Fire): Land of Fire (Tierra del Fuego in Spanish) is the name of an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland. Divided between Argentina and Chile, the main island is known as Land of Fire and also composed of a group of smaller islands.
This brown ink has a red tone a reminder of the burnt lands and vast deserts where nothing ever grows.
Poussière de lune (Moondust purple): a very poetic name, the color of the night when only the crescent moon is glowing in the dark.
Bouton d’or (Yellow button gold): this color is related to the flower of the very same name. Based on a children’s game that consist of putting the flower under one’s chin, if the latter becomes yellow it means this person likes butter.
This ink has an intense and bright yellow hue.
Orange indien (Indian orange): this color refers to the numerous travels of J. Herbin in India but also as the country itself, India, a colorful and festive nation.
Rouille d’ancre (Rusty anchor red): this color also refers to the journeys of J. Herbin, when traveling at sea. This color comes from the rust found on the anchor of the boats when moored in one location for a very long time.
Rose tendresse (Tenderness pink): this is the rose of love and the flowers of the same name and symbol of love.
The color represents the feeling of love and also tenderness shared by 2 lovers.
Bouquet d’antan (Bouquet of yesterday pink):It represents a bouquet that can be found at an elderly’s house.
The color is the symbol of nostalgia of the time that has gone by.
Rose cyclamen (Cyclamen pink): this color is also a flower from the very same name. A bold pink with a light touch of purple.
Rouge opéra (Red opera): this is the red of passion, the passionate love from an opera. The design of the fan, a reminder of the Spanish flamenco and also synonym of passion.
Violette pensée (Pensive violet): this color is also a flower from the very same name.
Since Napoleon I, French pupils used violet ink color, the least expensive color. This ink was made of methyl-violet, also used to disinfect wounds.
Larmes de cassis (Tears of blackcurrant): this ink with a dark purple hue is the symbol of grievance and penitence (Tears).
J. Herbin is the oldest name in pen inks in the world. M. Herbin created “The Jewel of Inks” in his shop on the Rue des Fosses Saint-Germain in Paris in 1700.
Vivien Holecz (verified owner) –
I ordered Gris Nuage, Vert Réséda, Roulle D’ancre, Bouquet D’antant and Ambre de Birmanie. Most of them are kind of muted (except Vert Réséda), and I love the more sophisticated look of them. The 10 ml bottles are tiny which is quite charming in my opinion.
There was also a nice surprise – Gris Nuage was out of stock when I ordered, so I got a 30 ml bottle instead 🙂
Tessa Schreuder (verified owner) –
De 10 ml flesjes zijn ideaal voor mij als nieuweling in de vulpennen, om verschillende kleuren inkt uit te proberen.
Ik heb 3 verschillende kleuren besteld en ze zaten allemaal even vol. De dop is makkelijk te verwijderen en de opening is ruim genoeg om vanuit het flesje je converter of vulpen te vullen.
Hans Straver (verified owner) –
Pousièrre de Lune is a nice deep dusty purple. I like dark purple inks and Pousièrre de Lune fits right in there. The shading is nice and the ink is well behaved. I also like the little bottle. May not the best to fill from but a nice price to just try out the ink.
Merel –
Ik was al helemaal verliefd op Poussière de la lune, daar kon geen inkt tegenop. Tot ik Vert de gris kocht. Wat een mooie kleur!
Een kleur die goed te lezen is, rustgevend en uniek.
De Herbin inkt schrijft fijn en de flesjes zijn schattig.
Raoul Mulder (verified owner) –
Mooiste groene inkt die er is!
Rakesh Varma (verified owner) –
This is a light bright red ink ideal for watercolour, marking papers and text, and journalling. I added a bit of Diamine oxblood in the cartridge converter to make the ink a little darker. Love it!
Paul Paulus –
Aantal kleuren uitgeprobeerd. Inkt vloeit goed en droogt redelijk snel. Kleur komt niet altijd helmaal overeen met de afbeeldingen, maar vind ik niet erg. Hangt ook af van de breedte van de nib.
Davoud Rafatjah (verified owner) –
I tried samples of the above mentioned inks and here are my impressions.Paper: Clairefontaine and Tomoegawa (traveler’s notebook 013). Temperature 24-27°c.Pens: Kaweco dia2 M, Montblanc 1912 F. platinum 3776 M.
All those inks are on the wet side and are well lubricated, so they run very smoothly on those papers. Café du Brésil is dryer than average and Perle noire is wetter. No feathering or ghosting or bleed through witnessed. No Sheen either. Perle noire is one of the best behaving black inks as good as Aurora black. They both deserve their reputation. I love cacao du Brésil. Similar inks would be Swann illusion from Montblanc and Kyo-iro Stone Road of Gion. The herbin is greyer.
Tim Cooper –
I took a chance on this colour. I am not disappointed. To my eyes, it is a lighter brown with a hint of red. It is pleasant to use in my daily writer, a Pelikan 400 with a fine nib.
OdS (verified owner) –
My experience with J. Herbin ink has been very positive. The 10ml bottles might not be the best bottles to fill your pen from, since they have a relatively small opening, and they can easily be knocked down. Yet, they offer you the chance to give this ink a try for a small price. The color range is rather wide, so you might want to try a few, So far, my favorites are Pussière de Lune, Lie de Thé, and Rouge Grenat. If you’re into greens, try Vert Olive; it shades beautifully. The lighter shades are also stunning, though I find them too light for writing; for instance, Ambre de Birmanie and Rouille d’Ancre. They might, however, create stunning artwork. Regardless of color, this ink is on the wet side, almost watery. I guess that’s the reason why it’s so easy to clean. You can be sure it won’t stain your pens.
Jean –
Love the colors being offered by Herbin and 10ml bottles are a great way to sample them.
Francis (verified owner) –
If thinking of trying out a color before committing to a bigger bottle, this is just the right size. Always love how fuss-free Herbin inks are.
Raul Pereira (verified owner) –
Great black ink. It works pretty well on both high quality and cheap papers.
Perfect for note taking.
A very good deal.
I love this ink.
Jason Low –
Herbin’s Perle des Encres is the perfect black ink that I can use for professional writing and everyday writing. The ink provides me the right saturation and legibility. Thank you also to Appelboom for the great service and delivery.
Lorelei Mercado (verified owner) –
Ordered a couple of bottles and 1 Cafe des Iles somehow broke and leaked. I messaged the store and in just a few minutes they refunded me the price of the whole bottle! They really care for their customers, kudos!
Louie Kokoris (verified owner) –
One of my favourite Blue inks. Works great in both modern and vintage pens. Also easy to clean.
Jofiane (verified owner) –
The moment I put the ink on paper, I smile wide. The range of “brown” color it produces are more than I thought – makes me wonder which shade would come out from every letter I write. The 10ml bottle is also perfect – I can finish one bottle faster (than the bigger bottles) and try other colors without feeling guilty 🙂
Renske (verified owner) –
De inkten van J.Herbin zijn en blijven mijn favorieten. Zelfs de lichtere kleuren (zoals bijvoorbeeld rouille d’ancre en gris nuage) vind ik nog heel goed leesbaar (in tegenstelling tot de pasteltinten van Ferris Wheel Press) en gebruik ik dan ook gewoon om mee te schrijven. Het leuke van deze inkt vind ik ook dat het zich goed onderling laat mengen en aanpassen aan waar ik op dat moment zin in heb. (Ik hou wel van wat experimentjes met een beetje shimmer zo af en toe bijvoorbeeld).
Voor de prijs hoef je het al helemaal niet te laten, zéker als je wat meer flesjes tegelijk bestelt en staffelkorting krijgt.
Zowel de inkt als de winkel zijn voor mij absolute aanraders!
Arlene –
Bought three colors after trying out samples-Bleu Myositis, La Poussiere de Lune and Rouille de A’ncre…love these colors. Order was delayed because a couple of my inks were backordered. Very nice light inks and don’t damage my pens. Good for daily writing needs. But I read that they may not be for archival, so I am doing fade tests because I need these inks to survive in my journaling. Great amount to try before buying bigger bottles.
Arjan –
Bought no.16 Eclat de Saphir as a test and what a beautiful ink it is, A very nice saphire blue. Such a lovely small bottle, Perfect to try out new colors.
Delivery was quick and good.