Pelikan Edelstein Smoky Quartz: Ink Review

Hey there, friends! Lydia here, bringing you my first ever ink review! Pelikan Edelstein Smoky Quartz was the Ink of the Year 2017. This darker brown ink is on the cool tone side, and it dries quickly, making it a good daily fountain pen ink! See why it was a popular ink in 2017 and continues to be today!

Supplies Used:

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

Smear Test (Dry Time):

• 20 seconds-We were shocked at how fast it dried. Because it was a darker ink, those tend to have a longer dry time but it was completely dry in 20 seconds.

Drip Test (Water Resistance):

• Low – Water dripped on this ink definitely moved it quite a bit. There are still faint lines there, but the majority of the color definitely bleeds when it comes into contact with water.

Saturation:

• High- There's little to no difference between swab 1 and 3.

Ease of Cleaning:

• Easy- This ink cleaned right out of the pen with no problems.

Shading:

• Medium – This ink definitely gets some interesting color variations in the letters when writing with a medium nib. That was a plus for me.

Flow:

• Medium – No flow problems in any of the nibs, even the extra fine.

Packaging and Aesthetics:

• Stylish box, looks great even as a gift box.
• The bottle is pretty, would look good on a desk.
• Nice wide opening in the bottle for easy filling.

Inks Similar in Color:

Summary:
This was a nice flowing ink and the color is a pleasing departure from your everyday black ink. It might be good for those looking for a reserved color that still offers some personality. The color reminded us a lot of Diamine Saddle Brown. It was pleasant and easy to write with. This Ink of the Year is only available for a short time and is limited in quantity so be sure to get yours today!

While this limited edition is no longer available, we do have a lot of great browns you can check out.