Aren’t you tired of the standard shades of blue, red, and black? People need color in their lives, might as well be through writing.

Well, you’re in luck! Lamy has released a line of new unique crystal ink colors. This new collection has 10 beautiful shades named the T53 Crystal Series.

The diverse colors of the Lamy Crystal Ink collection for fountain pens are named after gemstones, each matching the shade of that gemstone.

We have selected the top 5 Lamy Crystal Fountain Ink colors for you, let’s have a look.

• Amazonite 470
• Topaz 500
• Beryllium 270
• Peridot 420
• Ruby 220

Best Shade of Dark Turquoise in Lamy Crystal Ink

1. Amazonite 470

Named after a gemstone Amazonite, Lamy Crystal Amazonite Ink is a bright and elegant combination of blue/green teal. It may look like turquoise but it’s darker than pure turquoise and leans more heavily towards green than blue.

Amazonite 470 was the best performing and most demanded color variant of the T53 Crystal Ink series. Flaunting a beautiful darker shade of turquoise, it spreads the ink perfectly on paper without any feathering.

Likes

• Visually appealing color
• Balanced amount of sheen

Dislikes

• Slight smearing with exposure to water

If you adore a mixture of blue and green colors, Lamy’s Crystal Amazonite 470 is the best choice for you.

Best Shade of Wine in Lamy Crystal Ink

2. Topaz 500

This is a warm combination of gold and brown that feels comfortably dark and professional. The name of this ink is inspired by the gemstone —Topaz.

It spreads a beautiful, dark shade of gold and brown with a perfect balance. The shading depends on the writing style, expertise of the writer, and the type of nib being used.

The shades may vary between deep, dark brown, and a dusty, light brown color. This color can also give it a high amount of sheen.

Likes

• No feathering
• High Sheen

Dislikes

• Bleeding can be expected

Perfect ink color for dusty situations, you can choose Lamy’s Topaz Crystal Ink if you want to have a smooth precise experience and flaunt its beautiful combination of gold and brown.

Best Shade of Mauve in Lamy Crystal Ink

3. Beryllium 270

This is a deep, reddish-purple, which looks beautiful on paper. This ink is named after a rare gemstone called Red Beryl which is only found in Utah, USA. 

It flaunts cool shadings of dark purple and red, which can be made even better if used with a stub or italic nib.

Beryllium 270 performs very well on paper and has a good drying time, leaving no room for any bleeding.

Likes

• The most budget-friendly option

Dislikes

• A little amount of feathering was observed when exposed to a wet environment

Lamy’s Beryllium 270 is the optimal choice if you are looking out for a beautiful combination of masculine red and pretty purple. 

Best Shade of Dark Green in Lamy Crystal Ink

4. Peridot 420

This rich and saturated green will remind you of the lushness of summer growth. This ink settles greatly on paper and has a little bit of sheen. 

Named after a rare gemstone, Peridot, this ink works the best with fine and medium nibs which spread the darker colors correctly. Whereas with larger nibs, it can have a little amount of feathering.

Likes

• Good Shading
• Comfortable drying up time

Dislikes

• Bleeding may happen
• Slower drying time

The color of the Lamy’s Peridot 420 Crystal Ink can suit the best when a warm style of green is required.

Best Shade of Burgundy in Lamy Crystal Ink

5. Ruby 220

This medium and unsaturated shade of red is named after the popular gemstone, Ruby. This ink shows no sheen and a little shading.

Ruby 220 acts as a firm ink color that doesn’t bleed at all and can be used with nibs of all sizes with ease. This color could be a good choice for shorter notes rather than longer ones.

Likes

• No bleeding

Dislikes

• Low water resistance
• No sheen

Lamy’s Ruby 220 Crystal Ink is a perfect red choice for grading or correcting work.

Lamy Crystal Ink vs Normal Inks

Lamy Crystal Inks are not the same as the regular ink, not even the standard Lamy ink. These are more saturated and make the color come out more vibrant. 

The main characteristic of Lamy’s crystal ink is that they provide a two-toned color. At certain points, you may see a slight shade of another color within it. The contrast is so well balanced and displays a unique writing style. 

Apart from this combination of brilliant tints, these inks are a little richer in color if compared to the regular inks which take a little longer to dry. 

This ink is suitable for water-based fountain pens. The packing of this ink is in a small premium glass bottle which is very beautifully designed with enforced durability.

At the bottom of this glass ink bottle, you would find a groove. This groove is useful for collecting ink residues allowing you to use the ink until the last drop. 

Lamy T53 Crystal series of ink is a collection of 10 unique color options packed in a 30ml bottle made of glass which arrives in a professional-looking cardboard box reflecting the color of ink inside. You can see the real-time shades of these ink colors in this video.

How Long Does the Bottle of Lamy’s Crystal Ink Last?

The life of ink entirely depends on your writing style and frequency of use. Everyone has their own writing style, some people may write every day while others may write once a week.

There is no direct answer to this question. The usage of ink also depends on the type of nib you are using. If you are using a stub or calligraphy ink, this would definitely use up a good amount of ink.

These nibs have a broad tip and are dedicated to finer writing styles like calligraphy, so they use a larger amount of ink and beautifully spread it over the paper.

On the contrary, if you are using an Extra Fine nib, which is a zero-size nib, you’ll use the smallest amount of ink. This nib is used for quick and neat writing, suitable for someone who has a habit of writing in a smaller size.

A standard fountain pen converter holds between 0.6  to 0.9 ml of ink. Technically, that means you can have around 30-50 refills from a 30ml Lamy Crystal Ink bottle. Now it depends on how much you write and how often you refill your converter.

Understanding Ink Design Patterns Before Buying

A fountain pen can create dynamic designs as compared to a ballpoint or rollerball pen due to its characteristics. These pens give excellent results in the 3 most common categories which are Shading, Sheening, and Shimmering. 

Shading

Shading is magnificent and the most common outcome of fountain pen writing. It pools at certain parts of the letter, manipulating the value, form, and texture of the lines.

This causes the saturations to differ within a single letter or word. It also helps create a contrast where there is a difference between the darkest and lightest values, so this layering is essential for those who are drawn to pretty ink patterns.

Sheening

Sheening refers to a soft lustrous pattern over the surface as the ink shines in different colors and quotients.

The ink appears as the tonal value differs and pools onto another color which can be seen on the top. The outcome is observed to be shinier and metallic in nature when observed in different angles and lights, however, it still differs from shimmering.

Shimmering

Shimmering is the magic of microparticles that are added to the ink. It creates a wonderful pattern with a lustrous flow on the paper, which is sometimes confused with sheening.

It is advised to use a wider nib for shimmering to get your desired result. The shimmering effect is an artist’s best friend.

Lamy Pen Company

Apart from the appealing range of colors, Lamy is also a maestro when it comes to writing instruments. 

Emerging from Heidelberg, Germany in 1966, Lamy was a small writing instrument factory that, over time and with constant improvements, grew into a significant market leader globally.

Here’s a quick timeline of this company’s history. The founder of Lamy, C.Josef Lamy worked as a branch manager and expert for an American writing instruments company.

In 1930, he stepped up with the idea of starting his own venture in the same field, initially named Orthos Füllfederhalter-Fabrik. During the Second World War they produced 200,000 pens annually. 

The breakthrough in the market for Lamy came with the introduction of Lamy 27 in 1952. This pen had an innovative “Tintomatik” system, which ensured a smooth and clear flow of ink.

In 1957, C. Josef Lamy moved back to his hometown to work on his product and launched Germany’s first ballpoint pen in 1964. This pen had a large capacity refill and stainless steel tip. This became a great demand globally which led to the rise of the Lamy company.

With its launch of Lamy 2000, this company stepped into the business of fountain pens in 1966. This model set new standards in the fountain pens industry as they created an exceptional product with the use of matt-ground stainless steel and Makrolon (polycarbonate).

Using these two products in the production of fountain pens was a real challenge and a completely new concept in the mid-sixties. 

Improving constantly, Lamy unveiled a product named Lamy Safari at the Frankfurt Fair in 1980. This pen was targeted towards youth of 10 to 15 years of age, this was the first time that a writing instrument company released a collection specifically for youngsters.

The sturdy and ergonomic design was the outcome of years of extensive research. It quickly rose to fame and was the best-selling fountain pen, fulfilling the needs of school children along with many adults.

The consistent growth of Lamy company did not go unnoticed and they were awarded the European Design Prize in 1988. 

Moving towards a little more independence, Lamy started making its own ink in 1989, which made it possible for the company to give birth to Lamy Crystal Ink in the modern era.

Today, Lamy products are known and used globally.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I fill my pen with Lamy’s Crystal Ink?

Lamy Crystal Ink is meant to be used with a pen that has an ink converter. The type of ink converters may vary. Their filling mechanisms are also different. 

We will walk through each type of ink converter and its filling mechanism.

Piston Converter

A piston converter is the foremost used variety. The user swivels the knob at the bottom of the converter which oscillates the piston up and down. This movement creates a vacuum that draws ink up into the pen. 

Twisting the handle drums out the air inside the piston and typically, the air bubbles may be noticeable too. Swiveling the knob the other way aids in drawing ink into the converter by raising the piston.

Squeeze Converter

Squeeze converters are less progressive in design than piston converters but are relatively easy to handle. It works by squeezing out the air, creating a vacuum that instantly draws up the ink into the cartridge. 

Squeeze converters require patience. The user has to slowly squeeze the back with their fingers which will facilitate the creation of the vacuum that will draw up the ink hassle-free.

Push Button Converter

The push-button converter is a rarely used type of converter but can hold a lot of ink. However, they require more precision and are not easy to manage as they are required to be cleaned every now and then.

This is the utmost reason for them to be less feasible than other converters in the market. It works as the user pushes and releases the tap button. The process is repeated, and the ink will be drawn into the converter.

Does Lamy’s Ink evaporate or dry up if not used for long or exposed to extreme weather? 

Lamy Crystal Ink is a liquid ink and extreme temperatures can affect it. If the ink is exposed to extremely cold temperatures the chances are that your ink might freeze.

On the other hand, if the ink is exposed to extremely hot temperatures it may upset the additives included in the ink and make it unusable.

As the ink is liquid, it is always prone to dry up or evaporate over time. If you are planning to store the ink for longer durations, make sure that it is stored at an ideal temperature and not exposed to air. 

The cap of the bottle should be fastened tightly leaving no space for air, also make sure that there are no holes or leakages in the container.

Ending Note

There is a lot to appreciate about Lamy Crystal Inks: the elegant packaging, the perfectly balanced and saturated colors, along with the sheen and shades.

If we have to select the best color out of the 10 vibrant choices we would go with Lamy’s Crystal Amazonite 470 Ink. It’s a treat for the eye as it spreads beautifully on paper, has an exceptional amount of shade and sheen, and doesn’t have any bleeding or feathering issues.