Edelstein

Pelikan's premium fountain pen ink

Edlestein Inks

It was around 2010 when Pelikan, already known for solid fountain pen inks under the 4001 series, introduced a premium line of fountain pen ink - Edelstein. The brand name, Edelstein means gemstone in German and the name is to signal this is a premium product. Marketing referred to the ink as an "experience" and a "precious accessory" for the discerning writer. The new line of ink would link each ink colour to a precious gemstone - for example, Sapphire, Jade, Garnet, Onyx. Pelikan marketed the ink as having a unique formula. The inks are manufactured by Pelikan near Hanover, Germany.

Well not only would the ink be special, but also its bottle, No regular run-of-the-mill bottle with this line. It would come in a "prestigious glass flacon" with a design reminiscent of a cut diamond. The bottle holds 50 ml of ink - which after so many years of using Waterman ink, refer to as a standard size bottle. Knowing that ink bottles sit on desks, this bottle would be an ornament on your desk. I have seen the a reference to China being designated as the country of origin for the ink bottle.\

On top of this, Pelikan did something brilliant. They create an ink of the year, and year year would come out with a special colour - a colour only produced for one yeare - although some of them worked their way into the regular product group.

The Edelstein line of inks, with a different formula from the 4001 series is often referred to as a wetter/free-flowing ink. Although I am note sure if the difference in the inks is specifically noted anywhere, Pelikan often refers to the Edelstein inks as having a special ingredient that creates an extra smooth flow to the ink.

The Ink of the Year is a great idea.


Acquamarine 

Acquamarine

Acquamarine

Blue-greens inks have an appealing look, and Edelstein's Acquamarine is no exception. The colour is easy on the eye.  A soft, flat blue-green. 

 I found writing performane very good. Good flow, not a dry experience. No feathering issues. Reasonable try time.     

 

 

Edelstein Mandarin

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Madrin

For a period of time I was on the hunt for the perfect orange ink. I tried many brands. Edelsein Madrin was a colour that found myself reaching for on a regular basis.

I like the subtle flat tone of the ink.  I found some orange inks could look washed out, others just had a glare .    

Very good writing characteristics - good flow, reasonable dry time, no issues with feathering.   

 

Smoky Quartz...

 

Smoky Quartz

I have used this ink since it was announced back in 2017, as the Ink of the Year. I like the flat tone of the brown. The ink has excellent flow, and the dry time is reasonable, depending on the nib after 10 seconds. 

It looks good in both business and personal use.  Like dye-based water fountain pen ink it is not water resistant. This is a common aspect of non-permanent fountain pen ink. Don't spill a drink on your writing!

For those who like accented shading in their ink, I am not one of them, this ink has little shading. For me good, there is going to be a relatively consistent colour tone in my up/down and left/right strokes.       

Olivine

Edelstein Olivine...

Olivine

Oh, I like this ink and have kept it in my assortment of inks since it was issued in 2018 when it was the Ink of the Year.

The ink as a flat appearance, and that is a characteristics that I look for in an ink. No edge to the ink when you run your finger across your writing. The colour tone itself is pure, there is no sheen and I do not find it to have undertones of other colours, although some reviews refer to undertone colours in various tests on the ink. My conclusions come from everyday use. I find that swabs of ink colours don't really reflect how I see the ink on the page with the various pens I use. This ink has enough saturation so that with a broad or stub nib the strokes look very good. The only variation of colour tones is a result of the amount of ink on the page. As you write with the ink there is little shading. Do be prepared that there will be colour variation depend on the nib width and pen ink flow as well as the paper you use.

The ink is not overly wet, it tends to be a bid drier in its flow than some of the other colours in the Edelstein line.

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