Oooooo, Pelikan Edelstein Aquamarine – Ink of the Year 2016 ($28 for 50ml bottle)! I don’t know what it is with me and the Pelikan Edelstein Ink of the Year Colors. Since I discovered that there was such a thing as a special color each year, I’ve pretty much made a point of either buying or trying each one. The color for 2013 was Amber, then 2014 was Garnet (which is the only one I’ve missed), 2015 was Amethyst and now Aquamarine. Now, I have to say that the Aquamarine is squarely in my “color wheelhouse”. I love this sort of complex, teal-blue-grey so I am so glad to get to try it out. It also makes me not very impartial about it. So bear that in mind.
I drew the header with a watercolor brush to get a range of hues and intensities and was thrilled with the color right out of the bottle. I seem to forget just how well-behaved Pelikan Edelstein inks are. Then I dipped my Esterbook 2442 stub nib to experience the ink in more “real world” circumstances. There’s a good deal of shading in the ink and the color is deep enough to hold up even with my small, light writing. It just glided across the Rhodia paper stock and dried is a reasonable amount of time. I did not smudge, nor did I time my writing. I just wrote at a regular pace. (Says the overhand lefty.)
I also went back to my Seawhite of Brighton sketchbook and tested the ink on 140 gsm “cartridge paper” and added water to see how it behaved if I wanted to use it as more of a drawing ink and I loved the sea green colors that emerged. Also, the Seawhite of Brighton paper once again performed quite well. The ink stood up beautifully. Good pairing!
When compared with some of the many other shades of teal-y blues in my arsenal, it may be hard to discern a difference from the photos. Both Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku and Sailor Jentle Yama Dori have a very distinct reddish halo that Pelikan Edelstein Aquamarine does not have. De Atramentis Pigeon Blue is much brighter than Aquamarine and Noodler’s AirCorps Blue Black is a good deal darker, especially once its in a pen. Of course, Aquamarine is a limited edition color and its a bit pricier than some of these others so if you’re looking for similar options, any one of these would be good.
If FOMO is a driving factor for you, than I definitely recommend grabbing a bottle of Aquamarine while you have a chance. If you’re a fan of teal-y blues, that goes double for you!
DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Goulet Pens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Don’t forget about the 2012 ink of the year, Turmaline! 🙂
I do like this ink, but it’s the similarities to others that prohibit me from wanting to spend $28 on it. Diamine Eau de Nil is another that’s seemingly quiet close.
I forgot that Turmaline was the first.
Ana,
I like the Diamine inks. They have been working out well for me while the price, I find, is much cheaper than many of the others.
You said the Diamine Eau de Nil is close in color. I will have to give that one a try next…although my wife won’t be too happy about another Ink or pen purchase. ☺
Robert
I’ve seen a couple people say it’s similar to Emerald of Chivor without the sparkle? True? Though you note lack of red, so I guess not?
The Aquamarine is not quite as rich as Emerald of Chivor but it is similar in overall color. If you’re looking for a nice everyday teal blue that’s not going to clog your pen, it would be a good option.
So if I’m looking for a non-sparkle ink, the Pilot or Sailor inks would be closer? But the Aquamarine is sort of limited edition while the others aren’t so if I want it I should get it sooner rather than later?
Yep. For non-sparkle, if you want the Aquamarine, sooner is better than later but there are lots of alternative that are similar and would give you a good, vivid teal. Happy teal hunting!
I have all the ink of the year series so far this one is on my list to buy. Having said that, I have too many inks. Thanks for a good review.
Jaz