Starting in 2015, Pelikan established an annual tradition of crafting fountain pens from their Classic series that matched their Edelstein limited edition Ink of the Year release. Historically, news of those models would drop in August, but the release schedule has been on its ear for well over a year now as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic and likely some internal issues as well. Many have come to fear that the tradition would finally come to an end this year given the company’s silence as 2021 begins to wind down. Whether or not we’d ever see this model come to light has been one of the most common questions that I’ve fielded over the last several months. Pelikan put those fears to rest today with news of a new Classic model M200 to accompany this year’s Golden Beryl, the seventh such release from the company based on their line of limited edition inks. Prior to the M200 Golden Beryl, we have had the; M205 Moonstone (2020), M205 Star Ruby (2019), M205 Olivine (2018), M200 Smoky Quartz (2017), M205 Aquamarine (2016), and the M205 Amethyst (2015). Some of these models have made a bigger splash than others and several are now quite hard to come by. It was 2019’s Star Ruby that first employed a glitter induced shimmer effect along the translucent material of the barrel and cap and, like the M205 Moonstone that preceded it, the Golden Beryl looks to incorporate the same. Pre-orders are going live today from many vendors with this one due out sometime in November 2021. Read on to discover all of the essential details regarding the newest fountain pen out of Germany.
The M200 Golden Beryl fountain pen has been alive in the imaginations of many devout fans since we learned of this year’s Edelstein Ink of the Year back in January. The golden beryl gemstone displays a wide range of colors, but the ink has a wonderful golden-yellow hue, further distinguished by being Pelikan’s first ever shimmer ink. The M200 Golden Beryl fountain pen, like its namesake ink and two preceding models, will also incorporate a shimmering effect. Perhaps this design is more fitting here than on any of the other models that we’ve seen so far given the unique shimmering characteristics of the Golden Beryl ink. The effect has been well implemented with the prior models and, at least to me, has not come off as ostentatious, overblown, or gimmicky, despite how it might otherwise sound. The base material appears to once again be translucent resulting in the creation of a demonstrator, this time with a clear, satin finish. The company’s promotional materials describe the pens like so;
“An extraordinary ink needs an extraordinary pen to match with. The new Classic 200 Golden Beryl creates the perfect fit together with the golden shimmering Edelstein® ink Golden Beryl. The slightly satined-transparent material allows a glimpse into the inside of the ink reservoir. If the pen is filled with Golden Beryl ink, it shows the fascinating flow of the golden shimmering elements swirling around when the pen is moved. At the same time the material itself glows in fine golden lights to harmonize with the ink impression.“
The Golden Beryl, by virtue of hailing from the M200 line, will feature gold plated trim. Amongst these gemstone inspired pens, that has been more the exception than the rule since only 2017’s Smoky Quartz was similarly appointed. The gold colored furniture will consist of a plated crown clip nut, a single cap band, a beak clip, and a single ring at the piston knob. The cap top will feature the company’s single chick logo and looks to be unique in that it appears to be made from the same translucent material that comprises the rest of the pen, something not often seen on the lower tier models. The M200 comes standard with a gold-plated stainless steel nib. Available widths will include the usual assortment of EF, F, M, and B. Some vendors will provide an upgrade to the 14C-585 gold nib that adorns the M400 Souverän for an upcharge. By virtue of being a demonstrator, all of the inner workings of the pen are laid bare, a situation that can be problematic for those that abhor staining.
Pelikan Golden Beryl M200 fountain pen and K200 ballpoint pen
The M200 Golden Beryl will be produced in a limited production run of unknown quantity. As with models past, there will be a matching K200 ballpoint available in the same finish. Per the established tradition, the pens can be purchased individually, or as a gift set featuring the fountain pen with a bottle of Golden Beryl ink housed within special packaging. The M200 Golden Beryl fountain pen has a US MSRP of $260 which equates to a retail price of $208. That is about $20 more expensive than last year’s model. The gift set’s MSRP is around $290 with a retail of $232. This will be the first entry in the series to surpass a US retail of $200. As is commonplace, prices from overseas are significantly cheaper. Some vendors are offering this one for around €105.37 (~$121.79) and certain vendor specific discounts can further get it to just under €100.
I would be lying if I said that I was not somewhat disappointed in the look of this one. While I was certainly expecting a redux of the shimmer effect, I thought that the barrel might have been a livelier golden-yellow color. Perhaps I’m only disappointed because of my unfounded expectations. I will, of course, reserve final judgement until seeing this one in person. I’m curious about the satin appearance and how it will impact the look of the material compared with other demonstrators. What I think Pelikan was trying to accomplish here was to craft a vessel that could best display its namesake ink to full effect. Rather than a pen to match the ink, they created a container more adept at showing the ink off. The Golden Beryl ink has a wonderful shimmering effect in the bottle and the pen, when filled with the same, should look just as neat. That may indeed be the case, but we’ll have to wait until some real world photos surface to prove whether or not it holds up. With all of the pent up anticipation and the longer than usual wait, what do you think now that the curtain has been lifted? Is this everything that you were hoping for, or does it leave you wanting? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.
This is great news.
Yes, financial issues rather than internal issues. I hade to search high and low to get a Pelikan 805. Retailer after retailer said they have had back orders in for Pelikan pens for over six months. Apparently the factory has been operating, but they have no gold, so they can neither make the nibs, nor the gold pen furniture.
Hopefully this announcement heralds a full resumption for this tremendous brand.
Thanks for the news.
The M8xx and M10xx models have been hard to come by, both for consumers and retailers. I think that is why we haven’t seen a new M800 since 2019. Hopefully the supply chain issues will ease up. I hear we are getting a new M800 slated for Spring 2022.
It is interesting to have the news from Kevin S. (the previous commentator) as it explains why there has been a relative dearth of new Pelikans in the M800 range recently. Let us hope their supply and labour problems resolve quickly!
As for the new M200, it is attractive with the usual Pelikan high standard of excellence. I have the M200 demonstrator with gold furnishings so don’t feel I can justify buying almost exactly the same pen… To be frank, I also still have my doubts about using Golden Berryl ink, as the idea of using an ink with glitter added does concern me about clogging up the nib. For both reasons, I think I will ‘pass’ on this pen and ink of the year.
The glitter inks also cause me a lot of concern but I have not seen any widespread reports of failure from those who have used Golden Beryl. I think the trick is to keep the ink from drying out in the feed and to flush thoroughly when done.
Even though staining might become an issue, I love how they’ve decided to make the entire piston mechanism white.
Yes! I didn’t address that in my post but I intend to review this one once I have it in hand. I can’t recall any other M2xx demo with white piston mechanisms.
Based on photos I do believe the Pelikan M200 Pastel-Green might have white piston mechanism as well (black would be too visible): https://thepelikansperch.com/2020/05/19/pelikan-m200-pastel-green-review/
You are absolutely correct, the Pastel-Green did include a white piston assembly but that is not a true demonstrator (even though it is fairly translucent). The mechanism on the Pastel-Green was not really meant to be easily visualized, not like it will be on the Golden Beryl.
I guess maybe I should have been just a bit more patient! haha Just a few days after posting my comment about this pen on your post for the Golden Beryl ink, news of the pen started to break! Thanks as always for the update. I agree that this is not what I was expecting based on previous pens from the series. Once I was past the initial surprise, the pen has grown on me, though, and I don’t have a clear demonstrator from Pelikan yet, so I’m excited to add this one to my flock. I can see how others that have bought some of the other demonstrator models would pass this one up easily, though. I have my preorder submitted, but I’ll look to see your thoughts in your review as well. I’m curious to see what it’s like in person as the promotional photos from Pelikan are sometimes hit and miss at best.
I have had the same in terms of the pen growing on me. Can’t wait to see one in person because, as you point out, the promotional photos can frequently be misleading.
I was quite disapointed when I saw the pen announcement. Just as you explained many fans were waiting for a deep gold/yellow barrel. Even though your explanation may be the (logical) reason behind this production, I am not really excited anymore to buy this fountain pen. I had reserved a slot in my pen case, now I will put another one there now 🙂
Sorry to hear that this one doesn’t quite appeal. Definitely caught me off guard. I’m hoping that seeing is believing. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too much longer.
I like the subtlety of the satined, translucent barrel and cap, plus the gold on top of that. I think Pelikan was looking for a pen to show off their first glitter ink, and this pen will do that beautifully. I don’t anticipate any problems with clogging. I fill lots of my Pelikans with glitter inks of various brands, and as long as I clean them out periodically, I don’t have any problems with clogging. I do already own the M200 Clear Demonstrator, and although it is somewhat similar to this new pen, I think there are enough differences (for me, anyway) to justify buying the Golden Beryl. The differences are subtle, but notable. I think it’s a gorgeous pen and am looking forward to getting one ASAP.
I think the trick to the glitter inks is proper ink selection and good pen maintenance as you point out. I don’t really worry about Golden Beryl clogging anything up. I’d be surprised if a major manufacturer like Pelikan would release an ink that they didn’t extensively test for that very thing.
I use Waterman’s blue and blue/black in almost everything. I’d be a bit concerned about staining, but more concerned about how a dark ink will look on a demonstrator like this. I have no interest in the shimmering ink. I try to keep inks simple and safe, and Waterman’s inks play nicely with vintage as well as modern Pelikans.
I agree that darker inks might not look too impressive in this one. For the pen to look its best, I’m thinking brighter, lighter inks are going to be the trick.
I got my pen & ink set today, and I’m a bit underwhelmed with the glitter effect of the pen material, which seems minimal compared to that of its Moonstone & Star Ruby predecessors, which are both lovely.
I’ve not filled it yet, so I can’t comment on any “improvement” when loaded with the matching ink, but my basic premise was that the pen should be attractive in its own right, and not as dependent on the ink it contains as seems likely,
So, while it’s nice enough and I’d not want to miss adding it to the flock, I’m a bit disappointed.
I share some of your concerns and have already incorporated them into a review that I hope to publish soon. The pen has grown on me over time.