Guest Post Ink Review: MontBlanc Ladies Edition Pearl

Guest Review by Jaclyn Myers (AKA Inkpothesis)

Typically my opinion of an ink forms long after I have opened it. Assessing the important characteristics of an ink requires a pen to be filled, a nib to be dipped, and my Col-o-Ring collection to be expanded by yet another swab.

Other times, the presentation of an ink calls for some commentary. And in this case, two important topics must be addressed before we proceed.

Let’s start with the good news. Montblanc certainly knows what it’s doing when it comes to packaging. It’s not rare to find an ink bottle that catches my eye, but it is rare that I enjoy the process of actually unboxing an ink.

Montblanc special edition inks come in signature drawer-like boxes. They each feature the color of the ink on the inner box, and no detail is overlooked. Like all things Montblanc- it feels premium, and in this particular case, it’s done in a way I appreciate. If I’m judging this ink by outside appearances, consider me hooked.

But before I get too far ahead of myself, I have to go back to the moment I pulled this ink out of it’s shipping box. There’s just that one little thing- the little black text along the bottom of the box. The name of the ink.

I don’t know how many “good” names for pink exist in the world, and I do know that a lot of those names are already taken. Still, out of all the names- does anyone really need another “Ladies Edition” anything in the world? I won’t belabor the point here, as this lesson should have been learned many times over by now (Looking at you Bic for Women). But since something must be written with an ink to properly review it, I might as well make the quote applicable.

The thing that immediately stood out to me about this ink is the shading. In the quote above, I used everything from an extra fine TWSBI nib to a folded nib. With a pastel ink like this one, there’s a very fine line between great shading and sacrificing readability. Overall, I feel like this one strikes that balance well. Even in an extra fine nib, it’s acceptably readable. But in a broad nib and beyond, it really starts to shine. Sheen is all the rage- and I’m all aboard that band wagon- but shading is the dark horse of ink properties, and highly underrated overall.

There are a lot of pink inks in my collection that I REALLY like. Most of those fall under two categories: “eye-searing bright pink” or “dark pink with purple undertones.” So when making comparisons to this ink, I tried to grab a few pinks that I thought off the top of my head might lean towards a more dusty or light pink.

Confident in my choices, I gabbed my trusty Col-o-ring “Oversized” and swabbing accessories…

…I should have consulted with the ink experts Ana and Jesi.

I promise you that all five of the inks above are pink or at least pink-ish inks, but against the Ladies Edition the red tones of each of the other inks is exaggerated. In fact, when I went back to the rest of the inks in my collection- this pure, pastel pink was impressively distinct from all other pinks I currently own. It’s somewhere in the middle of the purple-pinks and red-pinks, and lighter and a little less saturated than most other shades.

Pastel Pink is not my favorite shade of pink. I tend to prefer more saturated inks. Overall however, in a crowded color range, I think Montblanc Ladies Edition Pearl sets itself apart as a pure light pink with excellent shading.

But…if you want a ladies opinion, you might have to look elsewhere.

Tools:

• Paper: TBD with 6mm guide sheet
• Pens: Folded Dip Nibs from Toronto Pen Company ($60C per 3-pack), Acrylic dip nib pen (Approx. $15), TWSBI ECO ($28.99)
• Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-ring Oversize ($15)
• Ink:  Montblanc Ladies Edition Pearl ($43 for 50ml bottle)

---

Jaclyn is a research pharmacist and graduate student in Indianapolis. Follow her on Instagram, on her blog at Inkpothesis, or find her at pen shows behind the NibSmith table.