Pelikan Smoky Quartz Ink of the Year

Pelikan has released an ink of the year, Smoky Quartz, and of course I was thrilled. Another brown ink to add to the collection! Just what I need! I suppose I am slightly worried that one day, like the wind, my tastes in ink will change and I will no longer like brown inks, but until that day comes, this is a beauty to add to my shelf. Pelikan offers its standard 4001 series (Brilliant Brown, Brilliant Black, etc.), and its luxury Edelstein line, named for gemstones. Interestingly enough, several of our calligraphy teachers have long asked us to carry the Pelikan 4001 fountain pen inks for dip pen work - being a bit drier gives more precision hairlines. The Edelstein inks are "extra soft ink," as indicated on the back of the box, meaning it's more lubricated and better flowing than its 4001 counterparts. Each of the inks in the Edelstein line is named for a gemstone - Jade, Onyx, Tanzanite  - including their Ink of the Year, which are special edition inks released yearly. This is the first Ink of the Year that we've carried, and it's a good one. We have a good supply of them now, but it's a special edition ink, so it won't be around as part of the regular line ongoing. The writing samples are done with my Pelikan M400 Brown Tortoiseshell Fine, and the ink swab was done with a cotton swab, both on Rhodia paper. It comes in the usual gorgeous Edelstein bottles, with the heavy glass base. I'm not usually one for matching ink colours to the colour of my pens, or for matching brands between inks and pens, but this is a perfect match for me - the Pelikan M400 Brown Tortoiseshell and this smoky brown ink. It might also be nice in a grey pen. The ink is smooth and well-behaved, as you might expect from Edelstein. It has a decent dry time, depending on your nib and paper of course, and it even performs well on cheaper papers. I suppose it's also an interesting stroke of luck for me personally that the first special edition pen after we picked up Pelikan was the M400 Brown Tortoiseshell, and then the first ink is the Smoky Quartz. It's like Pelikan was waiting for me all along. (Just kidding, no one is waiting for our tiny shop way out in Canada.)

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In other news, I think spring is officially here.

Despite my declaration of spring, today it's been snowing. I've reached the stage where my insisting it's spring has gotten slightly hostile, but I'm ready for sunshiney days and ice cream and people wondering if the shop air conditioning is really working or if it just makes that buzzing noise for show.

We've had some warm days and cool days this past week, but now that I've found them again, I'm wearing my Birkenstocks out and about and there's no going back. In fact, I'm now considering an additional pair, so I have some variation in my extremely limited wardrobe, variety being the spice of life and all, so you can tell I'm serious about this.

Every season it seems we're in need of new everything for Caleb, which is both fun and a bit painful. We did a bit of spring wardrobe shopping for Caleb and I picked a few things that I know he'll love - t-shirts with firetrucks and cars - but mostly I picked things that I couldn't resist, including tank-top pineapples with sunglasses and neon shorts.

I was never not-glad that I did, but on days like this, I'm particularly glad for something bright in the shop.

One day Caleb's going to be too big to fit under this desk, but until then I'll continue to watch, slightly horrified that there are spiders lurking under the top, and take pictures.