I was excited to get a suggestion to review the new Diamine Lady Grey (Reddit Edition). I love Diamine’s Earl Grey ink (not to mention I love Earl Grey and Lady Grey tea too) so I was curious to see how different the Lady Grey ink would be.
Lady Grey ink is a more purple-y grey color and its also a multichromatic ink. It looks more bluish grey when wet and then dries to a more purple grey with a hint of pink. As a result of the multichromatic effect, Lady Grey can be a little light depending on pressure, nib width and density. This is more of a stylized, special ink. The color is lovely but as a user of fine Japanese nibs, this ink may be too light for long hand writing for me but I will definitely give it a try in 2026.
Comparisons:
When compared to Earl Grey the lightness of Lady Grey is more evident. Early Grey is a darker, richer bluish-purple grey. The similarity between Lady Grey and Early Grey is most evident in the swatch cards. On paper, Earl Grey is more dark grey while the purply hue of Lady Grey stand out more.
When compared to other grey inks, I didn’t have anything besides Earl Grey that was close in hue. I even browsed some of my more violet and purple category and there were no close matches. Sailor’s multichromatic inks are more vivid and bright so were not good comps.
Dominant Industry Allegory is a lighter grey but a much more neutral grey. Lamy Crystal Agate is more greenish grey. Colorverse Anti-Matter is probably the cosest in hue but is closer to Earl Grey than Lady Grey.
From the perspective of similar inks, I did not find a lot of close matches making Lady Grey feel like a unique addition. I am glad I grabbed a full bottle and will definitely use it more in the coming year.
Tools:
- Paper: Odyssey Notebooks A5 Grid 68gsm Tomoe River and Ink Swatching Guidesheets
- Pens: Dominant Industry Ink Muddler, Sailor Hocoro Dip Pens, Zebra G Dip Nib and Tachikawa T-40 Nib Holder
- Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were purchased at Dromgoole’s with funds provided by our Patrons. Please see the About page for more details.
I was on the fence about adding another bottle to my collection but I really like the shading of Lady Grey.