There are many ink properties to explore down here at the bottom of the fountain pen ink rabbit hole. Sheen, shimmer, shading, viscosity, permanence, saturation. The list goes on. But shading is, far and away, my favorite ink quality.

February has been a month for thinking through how to size my pen collection. Am I curating a small perfect-for-me assortment or accumulating sets of models I enjoy? Am I building a collection that can continually surprise me?

I’m considering that these goals may miss the point. Perhaps there is no “right” size to a pen collection. My trays might simply need to include pens that make me smile — and bring joy to my writing.