{"product_id":"wearingeul-the-happy-prince","title":"Wearingeul The Happy Prince — 4ml Fountain Pen Ink Sample","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHue:\u003c\/strong\u003e A muted, greyed slate blue with a dusty violet undertone in thinner passages. Retailers describe it variously as pastel blue or violet-blue; my swatches on Tomoe River read noticeably cooler, greyer and deeper than \"pastel\" suggests — closer to weathered blue-grey than to a soft sky blue. The written line is lighter and greyer still than the swabs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShading: \u003c\/strong\u003eYes, medium. Clear light-to-dark variation across the swab bar and good contrast at the edges of pooled areas, where it drops to a dark navy-charcoal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSheen:\u003c\/strong\u003e None observed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShimmer:\u003c\/strong\u003e Gold, and heavily loaded. In the swabs it settles into thick bands that read as an aged, slightly olive-toned antique gold rather than a bright yellow gold, and it carries visibly into ordinary handwriting — the writing sample sparkles without needing a broad nib.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFlow: \u003c\/strong\u003eMedium, tending dry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe interesting bit:\u003c\/strong\u003e Part of Wearingeul's Oscar Wilde series, made in South Korea under their ongoing \"Colour of Literature\" project, where each ink is built to hold a scene rather than just a shade. Wilde published \u003cem\u003eThe Happy Prince\u003c\/em\u003e in 1888, in a collection written for his own two sons. The statue of the prince stands gilded and jewelled above the city until a swallow, at his request, strips the gold leaf away piece by piece to carry it to the poor — leaving him dull, grey and, in the eyes of the town councillors, shabby enough to pull down. The ink is that statue: cold blue-grey metal under gold leaf that's flaking off it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis is a hand-decanted 4ml sample vial from my own bottle.\u003cbr\u003ePhotos are my own swatches on Tomoe River Paper.\u003cbr\u003eI'm a collector and I'm always happy to talk ink, so please message me if you have any questions.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wearingeul","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57266211520838,"sku":"INK-028","price":2.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1020\/9696\/1862\/files\/Wearingeul-TheHappyPrince3.jpg?v=1789422118","url":"https:\/\/thepensmuggler.co.uk\/products\/wearingeul-the-happy-prince","provider":"The Pen Smuggler","version":"1.0","type":"link"}