Happy St. Patrick’s Day, ladies and gentlemen—today I’m reviewing a green ink (surprise, surprise): Robert Oster Tulip Fields (Shimmer), the Dallas Pen Show exclusive 2023. I swatch it, gush about how ridiculously sparkly it is, and then put it through my usual tests so you can see what it actually does on paper. The shimmer is the star of the show, but what really grabbed me is how complex the color is once you start breaking it down. I do a water resistance test (it’s got a little, but it’s so light that I personally wouldn’t trust it on the outside of an envelope). Then I run my “toilet paper chromatography” with water and rubbing alcohol, and it gets weird—in the best way. I’m seeing a pink/peachy center, a brownish-gold tone, lighter and darker greens, and even a teal-ish blue peeking out. After that, I go through a big stack of papers, calling out feathering, bleed-through, ghosting, shading, and how the shimmer behaves—HP Premium 32lb, Rhodia, Midori MD, Tomoe River, Hobonichi, Arch & Olive, and more. I finish with a green-ink comparison panel and admit this one’s unique enough that it may be headed straight into my private collection.