J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor is a bluish green fountain pen ink that is known for its red sheen and intense gold shimmer.
Emerald of Chivor is part of J. Herbin’s 1670 Anniversary ink set, which was released in 2010. Other inks in the set are Rouge Hematite, Caroube de Chypre, Stormy Grey, and Bleu Ocean. Emerald of Chivor is named after an emerald mine in South America and the ink is, as you can see, emerald-colored.
The ink, which is sometimes called “EOC” is the most popular of the J. Herbin 1670 inks as well as one of the most popular inks for people who love shimmer. The ink carries gold shimmer, which is essentially powdered aluminum, that gives it a sparkly look on the paper. This extremely fine shimmer is designed not to clog fountain pen feeds or damage pen internals in any way, but it’s still generally a good idea to use shimmer ink on cartridge converters that can be thoroughly cleaned more easily than a pen with an internal mechanism
The shimmer isn’t too apparent when writing normally with a Fine or Extra Fine nib, but can be seen with a width tip. The sample above shows lots of shimmer when viewed at an angle. To produce this a Twsbi Go Broad nib pen was used. It’s important to shake the pen a little before writing with it as the shimmer tends to settle and won’t come out reliably if a filled pen or an ink bottle has been sitting too long.
The amount of shimmer can be modulated by letting the ink sit for a few days, causing the shimmer to settle to the bottom. Then a fountain pen syringe a be used to pull out some of the ink, leaving you with a nearly shimmer-free teal ink in the syringe and an EOC with a more intense shimmer in the bottle.
Emerald of Chivor is a blue-green color that is similar to a dark teal like Pilot’s Ku-jaku or Syo-ro. The ink does have some sheen, but isn’t known for its heavy sheen. The sheen appears red when the ink is used in heavy quantities and/or with the right paper.
Despite the heavy amounts of shimmer Emerald of Chivor is relatively easy to clean and not very water-resistant at all. The ink writes well from most pens and can write on the wet side. It is relatively quick drying.
J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor Review
Emerald of Chivor, “EOC,” is one of the most highly acclaimed and lauded fountain pen inks today, and has been for years. It’s so hyped that it’s hard for any ink to stand up to the extreme expectations around it, but for the right buyer there is little doubt that this is fine ink.
The ink is a nice color but the color isn’t anything unique. Pilot’s Iroshizuku series has teal tones that are just as nice, perhaps nicer than EOC. There is some shading which comes through as a handsome red on the edges of the teal when it’s used with medium and broad nib pens.
Shimmer isn’t for everyone, but if you are looking for a high shimmer, nice writing ink this is one of the best. My pens have had no problem with EOC when it comes to writing or cleaning, and no issues with leaking or spitting either. The flow is smooth and as long as the pens get some movement fairly regularly (even just being in bag without being used) the shimmer stays distributed.
This is a solid ink that does a good job of following through on its high price point (about $30 for 50 ml) and years of people lauding it.
J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor Ink Scan
J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor Fountain Pen Ink Information
| Street Price | Check Price |
| Manufacturer | J. Herbin |
| Ink Color | Green |
| Secondary Color | Blue |
| Bottle Size | 50 ml |
| Waterproof | No |
| Archival | No |
| Quick-drying | No |
| Tamper-proof | No |
| Fluorescent | No |
| Lubricated | No |
| Cartridge | No |
| Similar To | |