It was almost one year ago today that Pelikan gave us Edelstein Amethyst on the heels of a few new product announcements. Déjà vu. That pattern appears to be repeating itself starting with the news of the upcoming M805 Vibrant Blue which was announced yesterday. Today, Pelikan officially announced the Edelstein (pronounced EY-dell-shtine) 2016 Ink of the Year. Unlike the Vibrant Blue, it appears that this rumor was 100% accurate. This upcoming year will feature Aquamarine, marking the thirteenth addition to the Edelstein line-up and the fifth Ink of the Year.
Pelikan describes this color as “neither blue nor green; it’s something in between.” The shade was chosen by the Facebook fans of Pelikan International and is anticipated for availability in the Spring of 2016. It looks to be an interesting blue-green but where it falls in that spectrum is still unclear. For the color conscious, historically aquamarine has been characterized as a bluish tint of cerulean toned towards cyan. It’s best to withhold judgement until we start seeing some writing samples but this appears to be more bluish than green based on the product shots. If you were hoping for a greener ink, don’t forget the Pelikan 4001 Dark Green coming early next year.
This is the fifth annual release of an “Ink of the Year” and the second release that Pelikan has turned towards its fans to help choose. Aquamarine joins the now discontinued Turmaline, Amber, Garnet, and Amethyst. All of the colors in the line can be traced back to gemstones (the German word Edelstein translates into gemstone). The Ink of the Year releases are limited runs produced only for one year at a time. If you’re a fan of a color, stock up because when they are gone, no more will be produced. Despite their limited nature, bottles often remain available in the retail pipeline well after production ends. Aquamarine will be available in 50 mL bottles as well as standard international cartridges. You can see the official announcement and discussion at Pelikan International’s Facebook Page.
Ink of the Year 2016
Hard to tell exactly, yes, but this looks very close to what I was hoping for (even though it might clash a wee bit with Pelikan’s classic green pen color). Thanks for the heads-up, Joshua…!
You’re welcome. It’s always hard to judge from product shots but I think that there is a lot of promise for this one.
This is one I may splurge on. After all, aquamarine is the gemstone for the month I was born.
This one might make more than a few March born pen enthusiasts happy.
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Ever since Pelikan announced this pen, it has been somewhat of a grail pen for me. I love the M2xx line of Pelikans, and this just happens to be my absolute favorite color. So I just had to have this pen! Well, I am pleased to announce that I got it this weekend, in a fine point. As usual, Pelikan excels in the quality of their stainless steel nibs. It writes like a true fine point, and very smoothly, with just the right amount of tooth. In buying this pen, it confirms what I’ve seen many reviewers of Pelikans nibs say. that Pelikan’s stainless steel nibs are made more precisely than their 14K gold nibs. It’s been proved true, at least in my limited experience. I have the Pink M600 that came out a while back, in a fine point. There was enough tipping material available on the FINE point that I was actually able to have it reground to a cursive italic. Not complaining; it was and is a beautiful, responsive nib. But it just shows me that the M2xx line of pens has very high quality stainless steel nibs. I’ve seen many people complain about the price of the Aquamarine M205, and I will agree I was not pleased to see this price increase. But I still feel that my Aquamarine M205 is worth every penny I paid for it, and I’m very happy with my pen. BTW: the color is gorgeous!
The Aquamarine ink and M205 are home runs this year. Love the looks of both. Congrats on your newest acquisition. Hope it serves you well and brings you joy for a long time to come.
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