Welcome back to the Marilyn Darling Show—today was one of those “let’s just swatch and yammer” sessions where I tackled a big pile of ink samples that needed bottle toppers. I used vial/bottle top stickers from The Doormouse’s Desk (Etsy) so I can actually see what’s what at a glance, because as the ink master for the OC Pen Club I end up with a ridiculous amount of donations and doubles. I worked through a bunch of Diamine Inkvent bottles (pigment, standard, shimmer, and chameleon inks), and yes—half of them looked “basically black” until the shimmer hit the light. Along the way I called out favorites and “why did they make this” moments: Pineapple Spritz is a sparkly yellow pigment ink that’s barely readable (probably better for art), while Tulip was a vibrant, punchy red that made me want to keep it. I also talked through how I think about shimmer and dark inks—dark bases can be great in fine nibs for a little punch, and you can even lighten some inks with Noodler’s Blue Ghost or a bit of water for fun effects (especially under a blacklight). I also gave my usual practical warnings: pigment/permanent inks can stain and take more cleaning, so I recommend cheap, replaceable pens (Jinhao 82/992, Pilot Kakuno) or something you can fully disassemble like a Noodler’s Conrad—especially if you’re dealing with pistons you can’t take apart. This video is half organization, half ink gossip, and all sparkle experiments.