Fountain Pen Ink Review: Wearingeul Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde

I may have skipped reading Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde in my high school and college English classes, but they later caught up with me—twice! The first time was in 1998 when I saw Julia Roberts playing Mary Reilly with John Malkovich as Dr. Henry Jekyll/Edward Hyde. I loved that film. John Malcovich was superb, and young Julia Roberts was impeccable. 

The second time Stevenson's story caught up with me was in December 2021 when I came upon Wearingeul, a new brand of fountain pen ink from South Korea. Wearingeul has an impressive selection of standard, sheening, and shimmering fountain pen inks with interesting literary inspiration, including a two-bottle set called Jekyll to Hyde.  Jekyll to Hyde Fountain Pen ink set is an expression of the "good and evil separation experiment" carried out by Dr. Henry Jekyll in Stevenson's story. The Wearingeul set has a DIY setup that allows the user to make Hyde by injecting a conversion solution into one of the two ink bottles.

Wearingeul Jekyll to Hyde fountain pen ink set.

Jekyll to Hyde is an ink set that includes two bottles of ink, a conversion solution, and a syringe. The two inks, Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde are presented in 30ml bottles. A 6ml conversion solution in deep purple for the ink DIY is also in the box and the instruction card notes that it should not be used with other fountain pen inks. I was hesitant to mix the ink and conversion solution at first, but I realized that it was fairly easy. See how I did it in the photos below.

The Jekyll to Hyde ink set includes two bottles of ink (Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde), a conversion solution, a syringe, ink swatch cards, and an instruction card.

Two inks, conversion solution, and syringe with blunt end needle.

Mixing the Henry Jekyll ink and the conversion solution using the syringe supplied in the box. I think it's also possible to just pour the conversion solution into the ink bottle.

Once the conversion solution is poured into the ink bottle, give it a gentle shake to fully mix them together.

From Jekyll to Hyde — the ink is now mixed, it's time to reveal Edward Hyde!

The two inks in the set: Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde.

Henry Jekyll

Henry Jekyll is a toned-down deep red ink inspired by the gentle and calm character of its namesake, Dr. Henry Jekyll from Stevenson's story. Wearingeul says that this red ink focuses on the co-existence of good and evil that exist within the gentle and idealistic character of Dr. Henry Jekyll who is not a completely good figure. This blush-red ink looks like a darker version of J. Herbin Rouge Opera or a lighter version of Diamine Syrah, more of a deepened red with a pinkish undertone. It has medium saturation and excellent flow. In wider and wet nibs, Henry Jekyll shows off some nice shading.

Wearingeul Henry Jekyll is a toned-down deep red ink.

Henry Jekyll looks closer in color to J. Herbin Rouge Opera and Diamine Syrah.

I used a Leonardo Momento Magico on Jaquere Reservoir Note to test Henry Jekyll. This red ink has moderate saturation and writes well with excellent flow. 

Edward Hyde

Edward Hyde is the DIY part of this ink set. It starts out as Henry Jekyll and turns into Hyde with the addition of the conversion solution. Edward Hyde is a thick, dark purple ink with a green sheen. Wearingeul says that this ink expresses the evilness of the character as well as the mysterious, dark, and gloomy sentiment. This dark purple ink looks closer to Laban Greek Mythology Zeus Purple and J. Herbin Poussiere de Lune. Similar to Henry Jekyll, this ink has medium saturation and excellent flow. It's also a shading ink, especially when used in wide, wet nibs.

Wearingeul Edward Hyde is a thick, dark purple ink with a green sheen.

Edward Hyde looks like a darker version of two popular purple inks, Laban Zeus Purple and J. Herbin Poussiere de Lune.

I used my Esterbrook Estie Lilac with a Journaler nib on Jaquere Reservoir Note to test Edward Hyde. This purple ink has medium saturation and writes well with excellent flow. 

I enjoyed testing Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde. They are unique ink colors with fascinating backgrounds and inspiration. They have excellent flow and write well in different nibs. Jekyll to Hyde ink set is a great addition to a fountain pen user's ink collection. Get your set now! 

Rants of The Archer thanks Wearingeul for providing the Jekyll to Hyde fountain pen ink and Jaquere Reservoir notebook in this review. To learn more about Wearingeul and its ink offerings, visit their website or follow them on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/wearingeul/).