Jacques Herbin Anniversary Ink History

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.

2024: Turquoise de Perse. A bright turquoise ink with dazzling gold shimmer.

Jacques Herbin 1670 Turquoise de Perse - Ink Sample

2023: Fuchsia de Magellan. A vibrant pink with gold shimmer.

Jacques Herbin 1670 Fuchsia de Magellan ink bottle, swab and swatch on gilded frame on white background

2022: Violet Imperial. A deep violet with gold shimmer and sheen.

Bottle of Jacques Herbin 1670 Violet Imperial 50ml fountain pen ink with matching ink swabs

2021: Shogun. A twilight-colored ink, reminiscent of a beautiful night of stars, is coated with fine red and gold shimmer.

Bottle of Jacques Herbin Shogun fountain pen ink

2020: Jacques Herbin 350 Vert Atlantide. An elegant, deep green ink with flecks of both silver and gold pigment, creating a luxurious sheen and subtle shade variation as you write.

Bottle of Jacques Herbin 350 Vert Atlantide fountain pen ink on white with ink swab

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

Jacques Herbin 1798 Kyanite du Nepal fountain pen ink on white with writing and swab

Jacques Herbin 1798 Kyanite du Nepal fountain pen ink splatter with shimmer

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

Bottle of Jacques Herbin 1798 Cornaline d'Egypte fountain pen ink with writing sample

Jacques Herbin 1798 Cornaline d'Egypte ink splatter with LAMY safari fountain pen

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.

Jacques Herbin 1798 Amethyst de l'Oural fountain pen ink bottle with writing sample and swab

Jacques Herbin 1798 Amethyste de l'Oural fountain pen ink splatter with writing sample

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.

Jacques Herbin 1670 Caroube de Chypre fountain pen ink bottle with writing sample and swab

Jacques Herbin 1670 Caroube de Chypre fountain pen ink splatter

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.

Jacques Herbin 1670 Emerald of Chivor fountain pen ink bottle with writing sample and swab

Jacques Herbin 1670 Emerald of Chivor fountain pen ink splatter

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

Jacques Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey fountain pen ink bottle with writing sample and swab

Jacques Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey fountain pen ink writing sample with 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.

Jacques Herbin 1670 Bleu Ocean fountain pen ink bottle with writing sample

Jacques Herbin 1670 Bleu Ocean fountain pen ink splatter

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!

Jacques Herbin 1670 Rouge Hematite fountain pen ink bottle with writing sample

Jacques Herbin 1670 Rouge Hematite fountain pen ink artwork of a stylized reindeer

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.

To view more of our special edition history blogs, click here.

Posted by Brian Goulet