Ink Review: Pelikan Edelstein Ink of the Year 2017: Smoky Quartz

[Chrissy]

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Today I’m reviewing a sample of the latest Pelikan Edelstein Ink of the Year for 2017 Smoky Quartz

Smoky Quartz is an unusual brown ink.
When you first write with it you can see that it’s an earthy, olive brown, although when it’s completely dry it seems to exhibit just a little more red.
I found it was a nicely wet ink that had really good flow and lubrication while I was writing with it.
I didn’t see any spread or feathering on most of the papers I tried it with.
With broader nibs it looks much darker.
It showed through on some of the papers I used. See the pictures.

Smoky Quartz is nicely saturated, especially with my M nib. It exhibited some shading with the M nib in my Pilot Capless or VP. I didn’t see any sheen.

I found it behaved very well, and I really like it. I didn’t experience any clogging or clean-up problems with it. In fact clean-up was very easy. It washes off hands with soap and water.

It exhibited good water resistance.

I found it difficult to compare Smoky Quartz with other brown inks that are similar. Many of those that I have are either darker or lighter, with more red, or more grey. The closest ink that I found to match Smoky Quartz is Noodler’s Walnut. So for those of you who really like that colour, but might prefer a different brand, Smoky Quartz is my recommendation.

It has a really interesting chroma that shows a mixture of several dyes including grey, blue, orange and yellow.


This isn't sold as a waterproof ink, but it shows good water resistance.
Bearing in mind the review form paper I use is thick with a quite shiny surface at 100gsm, and I used a M nib, this ink dried after 16 seconds.
No smear after dry.
It has good flow and I found it smooth to write with. I saw no skips or hard starts while I did swabs and dry time tests.
It is available as a limited edition in either 50ml glass bottles or standard international cartridges.


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[RocketRyan]

Another great review. Not sure it's for me personally, I only have one brown ink, Diamine Macassar, which I really like.
Many thanks for the review.

[grainweevil]

Ah, the chroma is a veritable rainbow. Thanks for the review, Chrissy! It's an... organic brown. One of those that reminds me of what you get when you process grass through a cow... But in a good way. ;) I can't get any sheen from it at all either; I would describe it as matte but not "dusty". I also found it, in my very limited trials, to be a surprisingly quick drier, but I suspect the medium Pelikan M200 nib I was using is uncharacteristically arid.

[Chrissy]

Another great review. Not sure it's for me personally, I only have one brown ink, Diamine Macassar, which I really like.
Many thanks for the review.
You're welcome. :) I also have Diamine Macassar - a really dark brown. :)

[Chrissy]

Ah, the chroma is a veritable rainbow. Thanks for the review, Chrissy! It's an... organic brown. One of those that reminds me of what you get when you process grass through a cow... But in a good way. ;) I can't get any sheen from it at all either; I would describe it as matte but not "dusty". I also found it, in my very limited trials, to be a surprisingly quick drier, but I suspect the medium Pelikan M200 nib I was using is uncharacteristically arid.
Yes it is. :applause: You're welcome - yes an organic brown. :)

[AzJon]

Thanks for the review! A very interesting ink. It actually reminds me most of J. Herbin Lie de Thé. Brown, but with a greenish undertone. I would be curious to see the two side by side. I reckon they would be a very close match.

[grainweevil]

To my eye, and on limited acquaintance with both, Lie de Thé seems rather lighter and more yellow.

[ethernautrix]

Hm... interesting. I think my Noodler's Walnut is much darker, and your sample (at least on my screen) leans more towards KWZI's Aztec Gold, when dried (not an exact match; a leaning).

Great review. I'm hoping to find this ink in a shop somewhere so's I can buy it. (Laughs.)

[AzJon]

For comparison. This is Lie De The on cream Tomoe River paper out of a (fairly) dry pen.


http://i.imgur.com/nybtAUe.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/adoIl1U.jpg

[Chrissy]

Thanks for the review! A very interesting ink. It actually reminds me most of J. Herbin Lie de Thé. Brown, but with a greenish undertone. I would be curious to see the two side by side. I reckon they would be a very close match.
You're welcome. :) I don't have Herbin Lie de Thé

[Chrissy]

Hm... interesting. I think my Noodler's Walnut is much darker, and your sample (at least on my screen) leans more towards KWZI's Aztec Gold, when dried (not an exact match; a leaning).

Great review. I'm hoping to find this ink in a shop somewhere so's I can buy it. (Laughs.)
My Noodler's Walnut is a sample that a friend sent me, and although it's not a match for Smoky Quartz, it looked like the closest ink that I had available. :)

[Lady Onogaro]

Thanks for the review, Chrissy. I'm still on the fence about this one. I think I need to try a sample.

[RocketRyan]

Another great review. Not sure it's for me personally, I only have one brown ink, Diamine Macassar, which I really like.
Many thanks for the review.
You're welcome. :) I also have Diamine Macassar - a really dark brown. :)

Really suits the tortoise colour Delta dolcevita I have it in currently.

[grainweevil]

It actually reminds me most of J. Herbin Lie de Thé. Brown, but with a greenish undertone. I would be curious to see the two side by side.

I fished out my sample cards of the two - colour is as best as I can get it (at least on my screen).

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[AzJon]

It actually reminds me most of J. Herbin Lie de Thé. Brown, but with a greenish undertone. I would be curious to see the two side by side.

I fished out my sample cards of the two - colour is as best as I can get it (at least on my screen).

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Thank you! Looks like Smoky Quartz is a bit more saturated, but very similar tone.

[Chrissy]

Thanks for the review, Chrissy. I'm still on the fence about this one. I think I need to try a sample.

You're welcome. :) In dry writers it comes out lighter. :) I need to try it out in a really wet writing pen. :) Does anyone have any recommendations? :blink:

[Raysclim]

Hello Chrissy , Thanks for the excellent review on Smoky Quartz Ink , I am waiting for mine to arrive . I have few Brown ink per below :-

1. Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Guri
2. MontBlanc Toffee Brown
3. J. Herbin's Lie De The'
4. J Herbin's 1670 caroube de chypre

Just wondering how differences is the smoky Quartz compared with current Brown ink that I have .

Thanks
Raymond Lim

[VertOlive]

Surprised and pleased with this ink; I actually bought a whole bottle straight off.

[Chrissy]

Hello Chrissy , Thanks for the excellent review on Smoky Quartz Ink , I am waiting for mine to arrive . I have few Brown ink per below :-

1. Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Guri
2. MontBlanc Toffee Brown
3. J. Herbin's Lie De The'
4. J Herbin's 1670 caroube de chypre

Just wondering how differences is the smoky Quartz compared with current Brown ink that I have .

Thanks
Raymond Lim
You're welcome. :)

I didn't compare Smoky Quartz next to any of those brown inks, but grainweevil and azjon have both compared it next to J. Herbin Lie de Thé to find that it's darker.

Montblanc Toffee brown is a nice brown, but it's more red than Smoky Quartz.

[Chrissy]

Surprised and pleased with this ink; I actually bought a whole bottle straight off.

Good for you. :applause:

[Eciton]

This is the only brown ink that I regularly use. It performs well and, importantly for me, doesn't have a red tint to it. I bought it on a whim and I'm glad I did!

[Chrissy]

This is the only brown ink that I regularly use. It performs well and, importantly for me, doesn't have a red tint to it. I bought it on a whim and I'm glad I did!

Yes, it's quite unusual to have a good brown without red in it. :)

[Jon Szanto]

This is the only brown ink that I regularly use. It performs well and, importantly for me, doesn't have a red tint to it. I bought it on a whim and I'm glad I did!

Yes, it's quite unusual to have a good brown without red in it. :)

Indeed. I'm kinda hoping that a bottle of SQ will be in the swag bag for the Pelikan Hubs in a few weeks; if it isn't, I'm going to pick up a bottle. For the meantime, I'm buying my first brown in a while: Kyo-iro "Stone Road of Gion". Ordered a bottle from the Andersons to be picked up at the show this week. I'm hoping it has similar qualities, but the color and drier nature will be (I think) a good match for the new pen with the music nib.


http://blog.andersonpens.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/thINKthursday-SneakPeek-KyotoTAG-StoneRoad_Main.jpg

[Marsilius]

Great review, as always. I just got some, and really like it, especially in a wet pen. I can see it looking a little pale in a dry pen, but its richness comes out with moister. I don't spend enough time with cows to judge a previous response, but that's ok, I guess. I also enjoy that tiny hint of metallic stone that you can sort of see through, or at least I can imagine that.

[ac12]

Well Jon you lucked out.
They did give away Smokey Quartz at the Pelikan Hub.

[Jon Szanto]

Well Jon you lucked out.
They did give away Smokey Quartz at the Pelikan Hub.

Perfect setup: we had a nice local hang, about 20 people. One of my good friends and local pen peep, Mark, had signed up as hub master. Not only did he do a fine job on that level, he suprised everyone by having hand-made (in his shop) these great 4-pen stands. I found that the gifted SQ from Pelikan fits perfectly on top (two more spots under it for pens) so I'm all set! I actually picked up a bottle of Stone Road from the Andersons at the SF show and last night was able to comapare: very similar inks and pallette, with the Kyo-Iro winning marks for nice shading, and the Pelikan (possibly) better for readibility in correspondence. Hey, embarrassment of riches!


https://i.imgur.com/4tx0Mlkl.jpg

[Chrissy]

Great review, as always. I just got some, and really like it, especially in a wet pen. I can see it looking a little pale in a dry pen, but its richness comes out with moister. I don't spend enough time with cows to judge a previous response, but that's ok, I guess. I also enjoy that tiny hint of metallic stone that you can sort of see through, or at least I can imagine that.

You're welcome :)

[Chrissy]

Well Jon you lucked out.
They did give away Smokey Quartz at the Pelikan Hub.

Perfect setup: we had a nice local hang, about 20 people. One of my good friends and local pen peep, Mark, had signed up as hub master. Not only did he do a fine job on that level, he suprised everyone by having hand-made (in his shop) these great 4-pen stands. I found that the gifted SQ from Pelikan fits perfectly on top (two more spots under it for pens) so I'm all set! I actually picked up a bottle of Stone Road from the Andersons at the SF show and last night was able to comapare: very similar inks and pallette, with the Kyo-Iro winning marks for nice shading, and the Pelikan (possibly) better for readibility in correspondence. Hey, embarrassment of riches!

I wish I could have been there for that. :(

[jmccarty3]

Smoky Quartz is a great brown, a perfect match for Pelikan's Renaissance Brown M800. I expect to be using a lot of it, so I bought three bottles, and came away from the Hub with a fourth. Other nice surprises: Noodler's Chisholm Trail, the 2017 Dallas Pen Show ink. and Monteverde's Brown Sugar. Then there's always the old reliable Iroshizuku Yama guri. And to think I didn't like brown inks until recently.

[Jon Szanto]

Smoky Quartz is a great brown, a perfect match for Pelikan's Renaissance Brown M800. I expect to be using a lot of it, so I bought three bottles, and came away from the Hub with a fourth. Other nice surprises: Noodler's Chisholm Trail, the 2017 Dallas Pen Show ink. and Monteverde's Brown Sugar. Then there's always the old reliable Iroshizuku Yama guri. And to think I didn't like brown inks until recently.

I just saw *another* lovely looking brown today: a KWZ Limited Edition ink called "Confederation Brown" made for Scriptus 2017 up in Canada. Don't know how it will play for everyone but here's a link (https://www.facebook.com/bauerinks.ca.1/posts/121509555235981) to the Facebook post with some nice photos.

[penwash]

Here is a sample of the Smoky Quartz using a Waterman's no.3 in Steel Quartz color.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4428/37322603012_0ccba0fbcf_c.jpg

Quite a match, I'd say :)

[Cyril]

I too love the BROWN INK. So recenly I bought this . It is a lovely ink. I have diamine Chocolate Brown. Waterman Absolute brown.Daimine BACH which is lovly too. and a Noodlers brown .Thank you for your review and it is a fantasticrewiew, speciallyI Love that photo.

[Chrissy]

I too love the BROWN INK. So recenly I bought this . It is a lovely ink. I have diamine Chocolate Brown. Waterman Absolute brown.Daimine BACH which is lovly too. and a Noodlers brown .Thank you for your review and it is a fantasticrewiew, speciallyI Love that photo.
You're welcome, and I see that you have some nice brown inks already. :)

[BoBo Olson]

I liked it enough to go back to my B&M and buy a second bottle.
I was way to lazy to drag out my brownish inks and compare. I just liked it.

[BoBo Olson]

When I finally run out of Lie de Thee, I'll get another bottle...ASAP, even though I haven't used it as much as I could have.

MB Toffee was another go to shading brown ink I went too. (Now a save ink, in it's too expensive to replace. It's a think three times to use type of ink. It has become what is @ as good, that is affordable. It will never be replaced with a new bottle of that ink.)

I didn't get Smokey Quartz as a replacement, in then four years ago, MB Toffee was still affordable at E-15 (I bought it at E-13 when it first came out). Now at E 23+ not an ink for me any more. 1/3 price jump in 4 years has nothing to do with inflation, but keeping up with the Jones, GvFC; C d'A and any common cheaper than GvFC and C d'A, Japanese ink...that costs E-22-25 over here in Germany. That GvFC or C d'A may have crawled under E-30 don't interest me at all.

E-20 is my limit.
Pelikan Edelstein will fall to that limit in a couple of years.

I did like Smokey Quartz enough to get two bottles. I really got to get back to using a F, M & B nib when testing an ink....at least dip and go. There is much one don't see just using one width of nib.
I do use 90g paper that allows shading when .... almost all the time now that I got away from buying regular copy paper.......My Rhoda is the new 90g, never had any 80g.
I would expect....a wet semi-flex nib to kill it's shading I got with a dryer regular flex.
But then you get line variation to play with.

I should stay away from ink subsections, in I get urge to ink a pen....and I need to stay at 7 or less pens to use up inks...............It's all to easy to get up to 17 pens inked.....and actually one don't use any ink with so many pens inked.

[Detman101]

When I first purchased this ink, I complained about it's dark tone.
However, I hadn't matched the pen to the ink.
In all the pens after that day...it has performed better than any other "Brown" ink in my collection. Broad, Flex, Stub, Needlepoint...they all work with this ink.
I prefer, and regularly use, this ink and it will definitely be the first "Brown" in my collection that I finish a bottle of...

[BoBo Olson]

I bought a second bottle after the first filling.
Got to use some of that ink.....soon.

(I say that about lots of inks....)