Dominant Industry Pearl 028 Les Falaises à Étretat — Blue-Green Teal, Gold Shimmer Fountain Pen Ink (25ml)

Dominant Industry Pearl 028 Les Falaises à Étretat — Blue-Green Teal, Gold Shimmer Fountain Pen Ink (25ml)

Dominant Industry Pearl 028 Les Falaises à Étretat is a 25ml shimmer fountain pen ink from the Painter Series — Dominant Industry's art-historical sub-series within the Pearl Collection, dedicated to shimmer inks inspired by the works of the great painters. Pearl 028 draws its palette from Claude Monet's celebrated series of paintings of the chalk cliffs at Étretat on the Normandy coast — dramatic seascape canvases in which Monet captured the interaction of sea, sky, and stone in a palette of shifting blue-greens, greens, and aquas. The ink translates that coastal vision directly: a luminous blue-green teal base that shifts between green and blue depending on the light, richly loaded with champagne and gold shimmer particles that evoke the way Norman sunlight scatters across the surface of the sea.

Part of Dominant Industry's Pearl Collection and the third entry in the Painter Series — following Pearl 026 Les Nymphéas Matin and Pearl 027 Les Nymphéas : les Nuages — Pearl 028 marks a departure from the still, introspective world of the water garden to the open drama of the Normandy coast. The blue-green teal base is light and atmospheric, shifting between green-leaning and blue-leaning character depending on the light source. There is no sheen and minimal shading — the gold shimmer is the defining visual event, abundant and metallic, evoking the particular quality of light on moving water. The bottle continues the Pearl Collection's signature presentation: a 25ml glass bottle with a cloth bag and ink-assist straw.

Available at Shosai (shosai.ca) in Gatineau / Ottawa — with in-store pickup (J9J 0K6) and Canada-wide shipping.

What Makes Pearl 028 Les Falaises à Étretat Different

Les Falaises à Étretat occupies a distinct position within the Painter Series and the Pearl Collection as a whole: it is a shimmer-forward ink in which the gold shimmer is the primary visual event rather than a complement to a complex shading or sheen profile. Where Pearl 026 and 027 layer multiple optical effects — shading, shimmer, and sheen together — Les Falaises à Étretat concentrates its visual energy entirely in the shimmer, producing a more immediate and luminous result.

The blue-green teal base is the ink's second major distinction. True teal — a colour that moves between blue and green depending on lighting conditions — is relatively rare in the fountain pen palette, and rarer still in combination with a gold shimmer. The warm gold particles against the cool blue-green ground produce a chromatic contrast that is precisely the visual dynamic of Monet's Étretat paintings: the warm Norman sun against the cool Atlantic sea. Users describe the shimmer as exceptional — abundant, clearly visible, and described by one writer as ink that sparkles like it was made by fairies. For those seeking a shimmer ink with immediate visual impact and a painterly coastal inspiration, Les Falaises à Étretat is a strong and distinctive choice.

Colour Profile

Base Colour

Pearl 028 Les Falaises à Étretat is a light blue-green teal — a luminous, atmospheric colour that shifts between green-leaning and blue-leaning character depending on the light source. In warm light, the green undertones become more prominent, reading as a vivid teal with a grassy quality; in cool or natural daylight, the blue undertones dominate, reading as a clear, light aqua-blue. In the bottle, it presents as a bright, clear blue-green. On the page, it dries to a light, translucent teal that is pleasing and distinctive at medium to broad nib sizes but may appear quite pale at fine or extra-fine sizes.

Writers describe the base as blue-green, teal, or a light aqua — a colour that evokes the specific quality of the sea at Étretat: shallow, clear, and lit by a low Norman sun.

Shading

Low. Les Falaises à Étretat exhibits minimal tonal variation between lighter and denser areas of each stroke. The colour reads as relatively even and consistent across nib sizes and flow levels, without the pronounced gradient or pooling effects seen in higher-shading inks. The shimmer compensates for the lack of shading variation by adding a different kind of visual depth — metallic and light-dependent rather than tonal.

Shimmer

Champagne and gold shimmer particles, medium to high intensity. The gold shimmer is the defining visual feature of Les Falaises à Étretat — abundant, clearly visible under light, and metallic in character. In heavier applications and with broader nibs, the shimmer loads the page with warm gold and champagne particles that catch the light richly, evoking the scattered sunlight on the surface of the Normandy sea. Some descriptions note a green-gold or warm champagne quality to the shimmer that reinforces the blue-green base rather than contrasting with it sharply. The shimmer is among the most abundant and visible in the Pearl Collection.

Shake gently before each use to redistribute settled shimmer particles evenly throughout the ink.

Sheen

None. Les Falaises à Étretat does not develop a traditional metallic sheen on smooth papers — no iridescent edge, no copper, pink, or green reflective border. The visual complexity of the ink comes entirely from the blue-green teal base and the abundant gold shimmer. Writers who prioritise sheen as a key ink property will find Les Falaises à Étretat focused elsewhere; writers who prioritise shimmer will find it delivers exceptionally well.

Ink Properties at a Glance

Flow

Average. Pearl 028 Les Falaises à Étretat flows at a consistent, reliable rate through standard converters and cartridge-converter systems — neither particularly wet nor particularly dry, and well-balanced across a range of pen and nib combinations. As with all shimmer inks, regular pen maintenance is recommended to prevent particle accumulation in the feed.

Dry Time

Approximately 40 seconds on quality paper under normal conditions (medium nib on Rhodia). Consistent with other Pearl Collection inks at similar flow levels.

Water Resistance

Low. Pearl 028 Les Falaises à Étretat is a water-based dye ink with shimmer particle suspension and no meaningful water resistance. It will run or fade when exposed to moisture and is not suitable for documents requiring archival longevity. For archival applications, a pigment-based ink is recommended.

Feathering and Bleed-Through

No feathering on quality papers. Moderate show-through on thinner papers; no bleed-through. On fountain-pen-friendly papers — Tomoe River, Rhodia, Clairefontaine, Midori MD — Les Falaises à Étretat performs cleanly with well-defined stroke edges. On standard absorbent papers, shimmer expression will be suppressed.

How to Get the Most Out of Pearl 028 Les Falaises à Étretat

Shake before use. Shimmer particles settle at the bottom of the bottle between uses. A gentle shake before filling ensures even particle distribution and consistent shimmer expression throughout your writing session.

Recommended Paper

Pearl 028 Les Falaises à Étretat rewards smooth, slow-absorbing papers that allow the gold shimmer particles to settle on the surface and develop fully:

• Tomoe River (52gsm or 68gsm) — the gold standard for shimmer inks; slow absorption allows the champagne and gold shimmer particles to develop fully on the surface; the blue-green teal base reads at its most luminous; shimmer load is exceptional here; the light-dependence of the base colour is most apparent
• Cosmo Air Light — excellent shimmer expression; the gold particles read with exceptional clarity and warmth against the blue-green base; clean stroke edges
• Midori MD Paper — smooth surface supports good shimmer development; reliable everyday pairing that brings out the coastal luminosity of the base colour
• Rhodia / Clairefontaine — consistent, dependable results; shimmer clearly visible; a practical everyday option

Avoid highly absorbent papers (standard copy paper, Moleskine). Fast absorption suppresses shimmer particles and may flatten the already-light teal base to a dull, unsatisfying blue-grey.

Recommended Nibs

• Medium to Broad nibs — the primary recommendation; more ink on the page loads the gold shimmer fully; the blue-green teal reads with more presence and legibility at broader sizes; the light-dependent colour shift between green and blue is most visible
• Stub or Italic nibs — the variation between thick and thin strokes gives the gold shimmer a dynamic, coastal expression; particularly effective for artistic and calligraphic work inspired by seascape and maritime themes
• Eyedropper pens — an excellent pairing; high ink volume and consistent flow maximise shimmer loading and ensure even gold particle distribution throughout long writing sessions
• Dip pens — well-suited to Les Falaises à Étretat's bold, painterly shimmer character; generous dip pen flow activates the shimmer fully; particularly effective for seascape illustration, coastal-themed artwork, and mixed media
• Fine nibs — the teal base is legible but light; shimmer present but less abundant; functional for everyday use but does not fully showcase the ink's shimmer character
• Extra-fine nibs — not recommended; the base colour may appear too pale to read comfortably; risk of particle clogging in narrow feeds; shimmer largely suppressed

Pen Maintenance

As with all shimmer inks, flush your pen every 2–4 weeks to prevent metallic particle accumulation in the feed and nib channel. Pearl 028 Les Falaises à Étretat is pH neutral and safe for resin and celluloid pens. Dominant Industry's Pearl Collection formulas are considered relatively pen-friendly among shimmer inks, but regular cleaning remains essential for long-term pen health.

Recommended Uses

• Art-historical and Impressionist-inspired writing — the direct connection to Monet's Étretat cliff paintings makes this ink a compelling choice for art history enthusiasts, admirers of Monet's seascape work, and anyone drawn to the Impressionist tradition; used alongside Pearl 026 and 027, Les Falaises à Étretat completes a Monet Painter Series trio spanning the water garden and the Normandy coast
• Coastal and maritime writing — the blue-green teal and gold shimmer are a natural pairing for writing inspired by the sea; particularly effective for maritime correspondence, travel journals, coastal travel writing, and any writing context where the colour of ocean and sunlight are relevant
• Calligraphy and artistic lettering — the abundant gold shimmer creates a richly metallic page quality particularly effective in broad-stroke calligraphic work; stub and italic nibs bring out the shimmer at its most spectacular
• Art and mixed media — compatible with dip pens and brush application; the gold shimmer and blue-green teal base are particularly effective for seascape illustration, coastal landscape work, and watercolour-adjacent mixed media
• Journaling and personal writing — the luminous blue-green and abundant shimmer make Les Falaises à Étretat a distinctive and visually rewarding everyday ink for those who write with broader nibs; coastal travel journals and nature writing benefit particularly from the ink's outdoor, atmospheric character
• Fountain pen photography and swatching — the gold shimmer is among the most photogenic in the Pearl Collection; vivid and abundant in macro shots on Tomoe River; the light-dependent colour shift between green and blue is most dramatic under controlled lighting

About the Painter Series

The Painter Series is Dominant Industry's art-historical sub-series within the Pearl Collection — a group of shimmer inks inspired by the works of the great painters of the Western tradition. Each Painter Series ink translates the colour language of a specific painting or artistic period into a fountain pen ink with shimmer, sheen, and tonal complexity. Pearl 028 Les Falaises à Étretat is the third entry in the Painter Series, following Pearl 026 Les Nymphéas Matin and Pearl 027 Les Nymphéas : les Nuages. Together, the three inks map Monet's world from the still, reflective water garden of Giverny to the open drama of the Normandy coast — a chromatic triptych of Impressionist light. Each bottle is presented with a cloth bag and ink-assist straw.

About the Pearl Collection

The Pearl Collection is Dominant Industry's dedicated shimmer ink line — a series of inks formulated around suspended metallic particles in richly coloured dye bases. Each ink in the Pearl Collection is designed to deliver a layered optical experience: a strong base colour, visible shimmer, and in many cases a complementary sheen. The Painter Series represents the Pearl Collection at its most conceptually ambitious — shimmer inks that carry both visual and art-historical depth.

About Dominant Industry

Dominant Industry is a South Korean fountain pen ink brand known for its Pearl Collection shimmer inks and a broad catalogue of richly formulated colours. Founded on a commitment to high-quality ink production, Dominant Industry has built a strong international following among fountain pen enthusiasts, calligraphers, and stationery collectors. Their inks are manufactured in South Korea and distributed through curated stationery retailers worldwide.

Product Specifications

Available at Shosai — Ottawa–Gatineau

Shosai (shosai.ca) is a fine stationery boutique serving the Ottawa–Gatineau National Capital Region. We carry a curated selection of premium fountain pen inks, papers, and writing instruments from the world's most respected stationery brands.

• 📍 In-store pickup: Gatineau, QC — J9J 0K6
• 🛵 Local delivery: Available in the Ottawa–Gatineau area
• 🚚 Canada-wide shipping available
• 🇫🇷 Service bilingue — français et anglais

Whether you are new to fountain pens or a seasoned collector, Shosai is your local destination for inks that go beyond the ordinary.