Pelikan Edelstein Aquamarine: Ink Review

Pelikan Edelstein Aquamarine ink splatter with fountain pen.

Pelikan Edelstein 2016 Ink of the Year Aquamarine is a dark turquoise ink with a little bit of shading, and even some sheen! See why there are never enough turquoise inks, including this new one from Pelikan!

Pelikan Edelstein Aquamarine ink splatter with fountain pen.

Pelikan Edelstein Aquamarine fountain pen ink review, written with a LAMY Al-Star on Tomoe River and Moleskine paper.

Pelikan Edelstein Aquamarine fountain pen ink review, written with a LAMY Al-Star on a Tomoe River paper.

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– This ink has a pretty standard dry time. Under 30 seconds is by no means quick drying, but you should be ok to take notes with it and not worry about smudging when you turn the page.

Drip Test (Water Resistance):

Low– While this ink is a darker shade, it doesn't stand up to the drip test. The color stayed on the page but the lines disappeared. Look to another ink if you want staying power.

Saturation:

Medium– While there were definite fluctuations in color between the first and second swabs, there was no difference between the second and third.

Ease of Cleaning:

Easy– Although this ink has a darker shade, it washed easily off the nib for cleaning.

Shading:

High– The shading in this ink is fantastic. Like some other similar teal ink, the color variation is fantastic. It looked especially good in the broad nib.

Flow:

Medium– This ink has a great flow. No worries about hard starting here.

Unique Characteristics:

Special Edition– This is a special edition ink that might not always be available.

Packaging and Aesthetics:

Beautiful 50ml bottle and box. Also available in Standard International Long Cartridges and 2ml ink samples.
Bottle has a large opening making it easy to fill.
The box is beautifully designed and pleasant to look at.

Inks Similar in Color:

Pelikan Edelstein Aquamarine bottle ink and swab

Summary:
This ink is great! It's a tad darker than most other teal/turquoise inks. It has pretty amazing shading, so we recommend this as one you must try. Additionally, this ink is dark enough to pass muster at work but fun enough that you'll want to write with it. It would be great for taking notes in school or journaling.