Diamine Inkvent Calendar Review: A Seasonal Treat for Fountain Pen Fans

Introduction

Every holiday season, Diamine gives fountain pen enthusiasts something to look forward to: the Inkvent Calendar. It has become one of the most anticipated annual releases in the stationery world, and for good reason. Rather than chocolate or candy behind each door, you get a small bottle of fountain pen ink, revealed one day at a time through December.

This is a spoiler-light overview of what the calendar includes and how it performs, with only a small sample of the 25 inks discussed so the daily surprise stays intact for anyone planning to open it door by door.

What Is the Diamine Inkvent Calendar?

The Inkvent Calendar is Diamine’s take on the traditional holiday Advent calendar. Advent, a variation on the Latin word for “coming,” marks the period of waiting before Christmas, and traditional calendars count down the days starting December 1st. Diamine’s version features 25 perforated doors numbered 1 through 25, each hiding a small bottle of ink.

The packaging pattern has been identical every year, with only the box color changing. This year’s box is green, following last year’s red and 2019’s blue. One small critique: there is no year marking anywhere on the outside of the box, which would be a helpful touch for collectors keeping multiple editions.

One thing to know before buying: this is a fast-selling item. Retailers typically open pre-orders as early as July, and many sell out their entire allocation before the shipment even arrives. There are no restocks; once a retailer’s initial inventory is gone, it is gone. If your preferred shop is sold out, you will need to hunt for another retailer. The calendar retails for $115, up from $110 in 2021 and $90 in 2019, and the price has climbed each year.

What’s Inside: Ink Varieties Explained

In previous years, the calendar included four ink varieties: standard, shimmer, sheen, and a combination of shimmer and sheen. This year Diamine has expanded the lineup with some new additions.

The 2026 mix includes standard inks, shimmer inks, scented inks, shimmer and sheen scented inks, chameleon inks, and chameleon inks with sheen. The “chameleon” term was new this year: it describes a type of shimmer ink where the shimmer is much brighter than standard, so the color visibly shifts depending on the viewing angle and how much ink is on the page.

The standard inks come in 12ml bottles, while the day 25 bottle is a larger 30ml size, which is standard for Diamine.

One practical gripe: the plastic wrap around the entire box is difficult to remove. There is no perforation, so a knife is required, and it feels easy to slip while cutting. A simple tear strip would fix this.

A Taste of the 25 Inks

To give a sense of what to expect without ruining the surprise, here are four of the 25 inks, without names or door numbers.

The first is a dusty purple with silver shimmer. In heavy applications the shimmer really pops, giving a lovely silvery glow over the purple base.

Next is a red standard ink with a bit of shading but no shimmer or heavy sheen. Heavier applications show the color darkening nicely. The third sample is the standout: a darker blue with both chameleon shimmer and sheen, where the color genuinely shifts as it catches the light.

Finally, there is a darker red that is a straight chameleon ink. In very heavy applications it reads almost entirely as green and gold, with barely any red visible, which makes for a dramatic effect on the page.

All four samples were tested on 52gsm Tomoe River paper using Q-tip applications, smears, and eye dropper pools to show how each ink behaves at different saturation levels.

Chromatography Notes

Chromatography reveals what is hiding inside each color. The purple separates as expected into its red and blue components. The straight red is not a flat red at all, showing pink and even orange tones within it.

The blue spreads into different shades of blue, darkening toward the end of the strip, where the chameleon particles settle. Like shimmer, the chameleon effect does not travel up the strip; it stays concentrated near the end. The darker red shows a visible gold chameleon component near the bottom, alongside varying pinks and reds.

Writing Samples and Pen Pairings

Each of the four sampled inks was paired with a different fountain pen for writing tests, and all performed well. The blue flowed smoothly from a Visconti, the darker red from a handcrafted resin pen, the purple from a Leonardo piston filler, and the straight red from an ebonite model with a generous nib.

The inks behave predictably across nib sizes, with shimmer and chameleon effects most visible in wetter writers and broader nibs, as is typical for inks in this category.

Buying Advice

The Inkvent Calendar suits anyone who enjoys the daily ritual of an Advent calendar and wants to grow an ink collection in the process. It also makes a genuinely fun gift for the fountain pen enthusiast in your life. Part of the appeal is social: throughout December, many buyers open one door per day and share each ink online, turning the calendar into a community event.

Buy early if you want one. With pre-orders opening months in advance and no restocks, hesitation usually means missing out. And if you have a previous edition, know that the format repeats with new colors and new ink varieties, so the surprise is fresh each year.

Conclusion

The Diamine Inkvent Calendar is a charming seasonal release that balances novelty with real value: 25 inks, including this year’s expanded range of scented, sheen, and chameleon varieties, behind a well-made countdown box. Its main drawbacks are minor packaging annoyances and the fact that it sells out quickly. For anyone who loves fountain pen inks, it is one of the most enjoyable ways to celebrate the season.