Diamine
Founded 1864 · Liverpool, England · T. Webster & Co.
Diamine is the only house on this list that does not make pens: it makes ink, and has been making it in Liverpool since 1864. It is the oldest fountain pen ink maker still trading, and its catalogue — more than a hundred colours in 80 ml bottles — is the broadest in the trade.
History
The house started in Liverpool in 1864 as T. Webster & Co., at the height of iron gall ink, the kind used for documents and accounts because it bites into the paper and cannot be erased. It survived the arrival of the ballpoint — which carried off almost all its competitors — by shrinking and specialising, and is today the oldest working fountain pen ink maker in the world. Its catalogue runs past a hundred colours and has become the benchmark for value: the standard bottle holds 80 ml where most houses sell 30 or 50.
Iconic models
Registrar's Ink
An iron gall registry ink, the formula the house was born with. It darkens as it dries and is all but permanent.
Oxblood
A dark red, among the most-cited colours in the catalogue.
Shimmering series
Inks with metallic particles in suspension; the bottle has to be shaken before filling.
Worth knowing
A Diamine bottle holds 80 ml where the trade standard is 30 or 50. By price per millilitre it has no competition, and that is why it is the first ink of almost everyone starting out.
