So, I like to think of ordering things online as a numbers game.  Once in a while you’ll receive a dud, and sadly this was that time.  Think of this as the backstory, it has nothing to do with how I feel about the actual ink or color, but this information should be out there.

Update:  Akkerman has told me that they have shipped out replacements for the damaged items.  They have made it right 😀.  I am grateful that this has had a happy ending and hope the new shipment comes in tact.

Due to the limited availability of the Dutch Masters collection at the time that I ordered, I decided to get it directly from the source, Akkerman.  Www.vulpennen.nl/en not to be confused with pwakkerman.nl/en which is another luxury pen store.  The ink took a while to arrive which I figured was normal since it was coming all the way from the Netherlands, however this is what the box looked like when it arrived.


The postman had even put it in a thin plastic bag to keep it together.  My first thought was that the ink had leaked or something, but upon further inspection found that it was actually water.  The entire package had somehow been submerged in water which made for a damp, smelly mess.  I removed all of the items and disposed of the packaging, not wanting to risk mold.

The ink boxes were not in good shape as they were saturated, and when I opened the Dutch Masters inks, it looked like one of them had leaked, as the level was so disparate from the other.


The disparity was not in the top of the bottle as was suggested.  Akkerman told me that I must have gotten one of the first run bottles, which means that I got 120ML instead of 140ML that they put in now.  Whatever the truth is, the fill looks terrible and half full only adding insult to injury.

The other inks that I ordered, some which were meant as giveaways here were also saturated and it made me very sad that I could not put up another one tonight 😦

I contacted Akkerman right away and was basically asked to pay for the reshipment and only replace half of the damaged items.  They told me I should have gotten a damage report from the post when I received the item, but that was impossible due to me not being home at the time of delivery.  The attitude was not very helpful and I am hesitant to attribute it all to cultural differences.  I will post updates as the story develops, but that is where its at now.  I am awaiting a response to my latest email asking for a more fair resolution.

I hope no one else experiences this, and it is definitely something to keep in mind when ordering.

But!  Now on to the fun part, the color!

I decided that my new Nakaya Naka-Ai would be the pen to try this with, the color matches so beautifully.


InkJournal Entry:


Line going down on 68GSM Tomoe:

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Ink Blob:


No sheen, but this is an absolutely beautiful dusty rose purple.  It has dramatic shading, and the flow is great.  I have been looking for a color just like this to add to my collection.  If it had sheen I think it would be perfect!

What do you think of the color?  Buying ink can be a risky business, has anything like this ever happened to you?