A visual look back at all of the annual Jacques Herbin 1670/1798 anniversary inks that have been available in the United States. Each bottle of fountain pen ink features added shimmer, a first for the Herbin brand (and possibly the world of fountain pen ink!), and comes packaged in a luxury 50ml glass bottle.

2019: 1798 Kyanite du Népal. A turquoise ink with added silver shimmer.

2018: 1798 Cornaline d’Egypte. An orange ink with added silver shimmer.

2017: 1798 Amethyst de l’Oural. A purple ink with added silver shimmer.

This was the first of the new 1798 series. 1798 commemorates a significant year in Jacques Herbin’s history. At this time, the French Revolution was ending, and the Herbin company, founded in 1670, was growing. In 1798 the company relocated to expand their production capabilities and the influence of their inks and sealing wax.

2016: 1670 Caroube de Chypre. A chocolate brown ink with added gold shimmer. You may even see green sheen if you put enough ink down on the right paper.

2015: 1670 Emerald of Chivor. A teal green ink with added gold shimmer. Still the most popular in the series! With enough ink on the right paper, you may even see a wild red sheen.

2014: 1670 Stormy Grey. A dark grey with added gold shimmer.

2012: 1670 Bleu Ocean. A medium/dark blue with added gold shimmer. This ink was originally formulated without shimmer, then re-formulated later to add shimmer.

2010: 1670 Rouge Hematite. A red ink with added gold shimmer. This was the first color in the anniversary series, celebrating Herbin’s 340th anniversary!

A few notes – when these inks first came out, the wax seal matched the shimmer color (i.e. gold), and the neck of the bottle was more narrow. In 2018-2019, the bottles, labels, and wax seals were revised as part of the Herbin / Jacques Herbin rebranding. Now all of the bottles have French language labels, a wax seal to match the ink color, and the bottle opening is wider.

Have you tried any of these inks?

Write on,

The Goulet Pen Company