Diamine Platinum Jubilee
Ink Review #127
*Please note that the scan is the accurate representation of this color.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission.
This is a Cult Pens exclusive ink
Overview
The color/properties:
Diamine Platinum Jubilee is a shimmering ink. It has a pale blue base color with soft violet undertones and subtle silver particulates that shine when the light catches them. It shades with a crisp cut and dark edges where the ink pools, especially when writing in print, but also a soft milky gradient outside of pooled areas.
Ink splat
Ink droplets
Performance on paper:
Platinum Jubilee should be well-behaved on most fountain pen-friendly papers. During my tests, I only observed light bleed-through on the Kokuyo sheet with the larger nib sizes around where the ink pooled at the bottom of letters.
The dry times were slightly above average, mostly drying within 10-15 seconds with all of the nib sizes.
Water exposure causes some clouding of the color, but there are light blue shadows left behind that are strong enough to be easily legible.
Water resistance
Chromatography
Performance in the pen:
Platinum Jubilee starts off with what seems like a healthy medium flow and a decent amount of lubrication that makes for a comfortable writing experience, however the flow quickly drops off during extended writing. It doesn’t necessarily become uncomfortable after that, but it’s a very noticeable drop-off that also lightens up the color a significant margin. This also affected the performance of the ink when using the semi-flex nib, leading to immediate rail-roading. The fine and extra fine nibs didn’t fare much better, and while there weren’t any clogs, there were quite a few skips during my writing. I would recommend a higher-flowing medium nib with this ink, but even then, I’m not so sure it would make a difference for long. Despite the flow inconsistencies, the shimmer distribution was at least consistently good! The pen didn’t require much agitation, and the shimmer was plentiful and easily visible throughout the writing.
Thankfully, the ink was easy to clean. There was some visible shimmer left along the crown of the piston after an initial flush; after a few more, there wasn’t any visible residue, haze, or color remaining in the barrel of the pen.
Written on Endless Regalia paper (white) with a medium nib
Written on Midori MD paper (cream) with a medium nib
Performance in a pen: 6.5/10
Performance on paper: 9/10
Color saturation: 8/10
Sheening: 0/10
Shading: 6/10
Dry time: 8/10
Water resistance: 3/10
Ease of cleaning: 8/10
Shimmer: Silver, Medium
My personal thoughts…
So, what is the Platinum Jubilee? A jubilee is a special event marking a milestone or anniversary. In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Platinum Jubilee, the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne (in 1952!), becoming the first monarch to achieve this milestone. Diamine and Cult Pens (both UK-based companies) collaborated to bring us an ink in honor of this historic event.
There’s something to be said about an ink that’s so extravagant and yet so subdued at the same time. That’s exactly what this is — perfectly befitting a celebration but not overstated, and it’s lovely. I was ready to call this an instant recommendation, but man, that drop-off in the flow is serious. As much as I want to like this ink, it’s hard to get past that, and it doesn’t look that much better on paper, either. Look at a full page from afar: it’s easy to see the darker blue quickly fading into a lighter, fizzled-out version of its former self. If you’re willing to find the perfect pen combo that can keep this ink flowing, you might have a more enjoyable experience with this ink than I did. Otherwise, I can’t say I recommend it.
Written in a Midori MD notebook with a Nahvalur Original Plus (medium)
More images/info:
Featured in the photography and writing samples:
Diamine Platinum Jubilee
Nahvalur Original Plus “Winter” (Medium Nib)
Midori B6 Slim lined notebook (Amazon)
Endless Recorder A5 notebook
Jenika’s Journals Blue Pueblo Leather B6 Slim notebook cover
Galen A6 Undyed notebook cover
Galen Leather pen sleeve
Portland Leather Small Aqua Wrap Journal
Franklin-Christoph pen roll
Tools and materials used in the writing samples:
A TWSBI Diamond 580 with 5 nib units including an EF, F, M, B, 1.1mm stub and a 5.5 FPR Ultraflex nib. All nibs are tuned to perform at the same wetness.
A Rhodia No16 A5 DotPad
A Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebook
A Midori MD A5 Notebook
A 52gsm A5 Tomoe River Notebook
A Maruman Mnemosyne A5 Spiral Notebook
A Kokuyo Campus A5 Notebook