Pelikan Edelstein Amethyst: Ink Review

Ever since Pelikan released their higher-end Edelstein series of inks several years ago, they have been releasing a special edition ink that they call the Ink of the Year. Last summer, they took the vote to the pen community, and let everyone "design" their own color and vote on the winner for the 2015 ink. When all was said and done, Pelikan Edelstein Amethyst was born. This is a burgundy/purple that seems to be trendy this year, especially after Pantone announced a very similar shade, Marsala, as their color of the year.

Supplies Used:

• LAMY AL-star with medium steel nib (also EF and B nib)
• Rhodia No. 16 dotpad, 80g white paper
• Tomoé River white paper
• Moleskine notebook

 

Smear Test (Dry Time):

• Medium– between 10-20 seconds on Rhodia paper, which is fairly ink-resistant paper
• This isn't the fastest or the slowest drying ink I've used, pretty middle of the road all around. I would use this on most papers without giving it too much thought

 

Drip Test (Water Resistance):

• Medium- It'll hold up to the occasional raindrops or coffee drips without completely obliterating your writing

Saturation:

• Medium– when put down heavy in a swab it looks pretty dark, but when writing in a pen it looks much lighter

Ease of Cleaning:

• Easy– this is a conventional ink that will clean up well with water

Shading:

• Medium– you'll see a bit of line variation here and there but nothing that will blow your mind unless you really pour it on thick with some Tomoé River

Flow:

• Medium– you're seeing a trend here, right? No surprise, Pelikan's come out with a pretty all-around conventional ink here with a consistent flow that's controlled and won't gush

Unique Characteristics:

• Sheen– it's basically only present in the heaviest of application on the magical Tomoé River paper (which brings out the sheen in everything), but it's pretty noticeable when it's there so it's worth mentioning. Don't expect to see any on your work inkjet paper, though.
• Special Edition– this is their ink of the year, which means it won't be around forever

Packaging and Aesthetics:

• 50ml bottle
• Gorgeous box and bottle
• Bottle has wide neck, easy to fill even the largest pens from it

Inks similar in color:

 

 

Summary:

Pelikan Edelstein Amethyst is a really nice addition to the Edelstein lineup. If you're looking for a safe, fairly conventional ink that is a color that's pleasant without being too loud, this might do it for you. Because it's not eye-popping, reading back a full page of Amethyst is pleasant.

It is no longer available from Pelikan.