This is an ink I've been looking forward to for quite a while. Each year, Pelikan succeeds at putting out a good looking ink year after year in their
Ink Of The Year collection. Each year, the color of the next Ink Of The Year release is determined by a competition in which you can mix your own ink. This year's (or rather, last year's) competition resulted in Smokey Quartz, a muted brown ink. My thanks to
Joost from Appelboom for providing this ink for review!
I had actually been anticipating a brown ink for this year, so I'm quite happy with this one. There seems to be a trend of slightly more muted colors for the last three releases, which is right up my alley.
Smokey Quartz is -unlike the gemstone it's based on- not really a grey-brown, but more of a coffee/chocolate brown. Despite it not entirely matching the name, it's still a very nice dark brown ink. The lighter cappuccino cofee brown base is covered with a layer of dark chocolate brown shading. Depending on the nib you use, the base color can be a bit darker, so shading isn't always as pronounced, but it's definitely there.
Edelstein inks are generally well-behaved, and this one follows the trend. It's a smooth, relatively wet ink, flow was good in all pens I tried it with. It behaves perfect on decent paper (Rhodia), no bleedthrough or feathering at all. Dry times were average, maybe slightly on the longer side because it's a relatively wet ink. It's not a waterproof or iron-gall ink, but it's surprisingly water-resistant.
![Inktastic: Pelikan Edelstein smokey Quartz ink review]( "Inktastic: Pelikan Edelstein smokey Quartz ink review") |
| Lamy Safari, F nib |
![Inktastic: Pelikan Edelstein smokey Quartz ink review]( "Inktastic: Pelikan Edelstein smokey Quartz ink review") |
| Lamy Safari, 1.5mm stub 'calligraphy' nib |
|
Smokey quartz is a nice ink in a row of excellent special edition releases. Pelikan does a great job with their Ink Of The Year collection, and I can't wait to see what will come next! Edelstein inks come in cartridges (long international), or really good-looking 50ml bottles. The bottles run for 15 EUR/ 25 USD. 25 USD is steep, maybe a bit too steep, but it's definitely worth 15 euros! Given that enormous price difference depending on where you get it, I think getting them from an EU retailer such as
Appelboom is your best bet.
Note: Appelboom is a sponsor of this blog. This product was provided, free of charge, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affilate links.
