Fountain Pen Ink Review: Pelikan Edelstein Olivine

As a regular fountain pen user and collector, I join hundreds of enthusiasts from around the world in our watch not only for new pens but also for new fountain pen ink colors. I eagerly wait for announcements of special edition pens, limited edition inks, new notebooks, and their ETAs to the far east where I live.

This year, Pelikan of Germany has added a new color to their Edelstein ink series. Edelstein Olivine is Pelikan's Ink of the Year for 2018, the seventh ink to be named such. Ink of Year colors includes Turmaline, Amber, Garnet, Amethyst, Aquamarine, and Smoky Quartz. The Edelstein ink collection also includes eight more colors: Onyx, Tanzanite, Sapphire, Topaz, Jade, Aventurine, Mandarin, and Ruby. Olivine, as well as the other Edelstein Ink of the Year colors, are limited and available for the current year only, and I'm so happy that Scribe.ph has kindly sent a bottle for this review.

Pelikan has a wide collection of fountain inks from its three series: 4001 inks, Fount India, and Edelstein. Edelstein is the German and Norwegian word for "gemstones". These higher-end inks from Pelikan correspond to the beautiful colors of gemstones and contain a special ingredient to ensure extra smooth writing.

Edelstein inks are presented in a unique 50 ml high-value glass flacon. The Edelstein flacon is an elegant rectangular glass bottle with a thick base and wide opening for easier ink filling. An eye candy, the flacon's design is one of a kind, and one of the most elegant ink bottles available in the market today.

Edelstein inks are presented in an elegant 50 ml glass flacon.

The Edelstein flacon has an equally elegant cap with the Pelikan logo embossed in silver. 

The flacon's wide opening makes ink filling easier, and it can accommodate bigger pens.

Olivine is a deep, dark green ink that looks more like a forest green color than olive. This color confusion bothered me for a while. Don't be surprised about the color, though. According to The Pelikan's Perch, this ink actually got its name from a gemstone with a typical olive-green color derived from traces of nickel. The mineral also takes on a reddish color, thought to be a result of iron oxidation. There it is. Edelstein Olivine got its name from a gemstone, not from olives.

A single pass/swab of Olivine. This ink is truly versatile. It can be deep and dark, but it can also be light and dramatic.

Double passes/swabs of Olivine shows a dark green ink, but also reveals a faint reddish sheen where the ink pooled before it dried.

I do not have many greens in my ink collection to compare Olivine with, but here is a side-by-side comparison with Diamine POGI, an Olive Green ink specially mixed for the Philippine market.

Pelikan Edelstein ink writing sample from a Pelikan M400 with a broad nib. It took a while to dry at 23 seconds, but ink drying times vary depending on nib wetness, paper quality, and the writer's hand stroke. Olivine could dry faster if written using a fine or medium nib.

Here is Olivine from a Bexley Intrepid with an extremely wet stub nib. It looks like a very dark green-black ink with no shading at all.

Shading is seen in most Edelstein inks but this -- like its drying time -- depends on a combination of factors: nib wetness, paper quality, and the writer's hand stroke. I tested Olivine in pens with wet broad and stub nibs. The writing samples from these nibs looked almost green-black after the ink dried. These are seen in the two photos above. However, when I tried Olivine in a wide 1.5 italic Lamy nib, shading was more obvious, and the ink color became more dramatic and meaningful.

Edelstein Olivine from a 1.5 Lamy nib on Pukka notebook paper. 

Lastly, let me add that Pelikan's packaging for their Eldestein inks is truly impressive, and possibly one of the best. The flacon has inner and outer boxes to ensure that the glass has full protection whether it's in transit or in storage. The flacon and its box both bear the ink's color, making it easy to find an ink you are looking for.

It is helpful that Pelikan includes the ink's name not only on the flacon (see images above) but also on their specific boxes. Locating inks is faster and easier with box labels.

The Edelstein flacon is first encased in an inner box, while the outer box provides additional protection.

Thick pads are added around the cap for reinforced protection. As I said, this packaging is impressive.

Olivine came out of Pelikan's 2016 social media contest which allowed fans to choose the 2018 Edelstein Ink of the Year. An entry for a dark green ink eventually won over 1,200 suggestions sent to Pelikan, which fans all over the world now enjoy. "Created and voted by Pelikan-fans for Pelikan-fans," Edelstein Olivine is a must-have ink color for anyone who loves to write with a fountain pen. This ink has a beautiful dark green color, produces excellent shading, and comes in an impressive and elegant packaging. If I were you, I'd get a bottle of Olivine now, because when it's gone, it's gone!

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I received the ink in this review at no cost from Scribe.ph, Pelikan's authorized and exclusive distributor in the Philippines. Pelikan products including Edelstein inks are exclusively available at Scribe.ph, a specialty store in the Philippines selling fountain pens, inks, paper products, and calligraphy supplies. Scribe.ph has stores in Eastwood Mall, Shangrila Plaza Mall, Glorietta 4, SM Aura Premiere, SM Megamall, SM Cebu, and Ayala Mall Cebu. For their complete location/address, contact numbers, and store hours, click here.

Fountain Pen Network Philippines Hosts First Manila Fountain Pen Show

The Manila Fountain Pen Show logo was designed by graphic artist Ramil Vinarao.

The first ever Manila Fountain Pen Show is happening soon! The event, which happens at SMX Aura Meeting Room 1 on October 27, 2018 (Saturday), is the first fountain pen show in the country and I can't wait to go!

When I started using a fountain pen in 2008, I was happily writing with my Parker Vector inked with Parker Blue. Then I chanced upon a stunning and vibrant blue ink called DC Supershow Blue, which I learned to be produced by Private Reserve, an American ink manufacturer, as a Special Edition ink for the 2003 DC Fountain Pen Supershow. I was like, wait, there are fountain pen shows??? I found that yes, there are fountain pen shows, and they are BIG.

Let's move to 2018. Fountain Pen Network Philippines, the country's premier group devoted to writing instruments (fountain pens), ink, and stationery has successfully organized the first Manila Fountain Pen Show, in line with the group's mission to promote the use of fountain pens and preserve the art of the handwritten word. The one-day event will be a pen meet, a reunion, and a family gathering rolled into one.

Fountain Pen Network Philippines logo, designed by Rica Palomo-Espiritu with calligraphy 
by Lorraine Marie Nepomuceno. (Image from fpn-p.org)

Like the DC Fountain Pen Supershow, the Manila Fountain Pen Show will have an ink especially mixed for the show. Leigh Reyes calls it shading copper, which is similar to the color of the show's logo. The ink will sell for PhP550 for a 30ml bottle, and part of the proceeds will be donated to charity to help the victims of Typhoon Ompong.

Shading copper. Can't wait to try this ink! (Images by Leigh Reyes)

From Leigh: TWSBI Go 1.1 mm nib on Tomoe River paper.

Leigh's art shows the shading property of this beautiful ink.

Fountain Pen Network Philippines also produced a limited edition 10th Anniversary fountain pen, an Edison Mina in tortoiseshell acrylic, which will be available for viewing and reservation during the show. Manufactured by Brian Gray's Edison Pen Co., the pen is a cartridge/converter type, and will be available in buyer's choice of steel nib (F, M, B, 1.1 italic, and 1.4 italic). The pen is limited to 40 pieces, sold at PhP 15,000 each. This pen has been announced earlier at Fountain Pen Network Philippines. At the moment, only 10 out of the 40 pens are available for purchase.

The Fountain Pen Network Philippines Limited Edition 10th Anniversary Fountain Pen,
an Edison Mina in tortoiseshell acrylic. (Image by Brian Gray; Edison Pen Co.)

This limited edition pen is available in a variety of nibs: F, M, B, 1.1 italic, and 1.4 italic.
(Image by Brian Gray; Edison Pen Co.)

The pen's finial bears Fountain Pen Network Philippines' 10th Anniversary logo. 
(Image by Brian Gray; Edison Pen Co.)

In 2008 when I first joined Fountain Pen Network Philippines, we can only buy fountain pens and other supplies (ink, paper) from National Bookstore and at some small shops in Binondo and Sta. Cruz, Manila. Ten years later, we now have a variety of stores, online shops, and individual sellers offering more brands of fountain pens, inks, paper, and accessories. Previous Fountain Pen Day celebrations had put together sellers during the event, but the list for the Manila Fountain Pen Show is the biggest gathering of sellers I have seen in Manila. I'm so excited to go to the show knowing these sellers will be there. Here's the initial list of confirmed sellers at the Manila Fountain Pen Show (more updates when new ones are confirmed):

• Scribe.ph
• Everything Calligraphy
• PenGrafik
• National Bookstore-Noteworthy
• Kasama Pens (newly-launched Filipino fountain pen brand)
• Lamy Philippines
• Faber Castell
• Cross
• Mont Blanc
• Parker Philippines
• Straits Pen (Singapore-based store, their catalog is here: https://aws.straitspen.com/shop/)
• Troublemaker Inks (this Cebu-based group is the first Filipino ink maker!)
• Gav N Sav (our favorite source of beautiful pen wraps and tea wallets!)
• Shibui PH (leather products - pen cases, organizers, travel wallets)

Bali lamb leather pen wraps and cases from PenGrafik will be available during the Manila Fountain Pen Show! (Image from PenGrafik)

These colorful and well-made penwraps from Gav N Sav will be available at the show, too!
(Image from Gav N Sav)

Watch out for these vintage Esterbrook fountain pens at Guia Bengzon's table at the show. 
(Image by Guia Bengzon)

Parker Vacumatic fountain pens to be sold at Guia Bengzon's table at the show. (Image by Guia Bengzon)

Other confirmed sellers include Guia P. Bengzon, who will sell vintage and modern fountain pens, and our favorite Victory notebooks and pads. Nibmeister Jose Reinoso, the man behind JP's Pen Spa & Nibworks will also be at the show to offer on-site service for vintage pens. JP offers resaccing and restoration, cleaning, and polishing of Vacumatics, button fillers, coin fillers, and standard lever fillers, aside from nib tuning and alignment. John Raymond Lim, who does excellent nib modification, tuning, and pen repair will also be at the show.

Aside from sellers and services available at the show, prepare for other activities during the day. There will be short lectures on fountain pens and penmanship, basic fountain pen care and maintenance, art with fountain pens, calligraphy with fountain pens, and nib polishing and grinding. A Q&A panel, paper testing bar, and an ink-mixing bar will also be available during the show! To encourage a younger audience into using fountain pens, a session on introduction to fountain pens for kids and newbies is being planned. Watch this page for more updates!

Lorraine Marie Nepomuceno lists the activities during the Manila Fountain Pen Show.

The organizers are encouraging buyers to contact sellers about specific products that they are interested to buy during the event to ensure availability. Buyers can also inquire about prices of various pen items beforehand.

The Manila Fountain Pen Show will be open to the public, and everyone who loves writing instruments and the art of writing is invited to come. The organizers waived entrance fees during the event, but raffle tickets will be sold for the benefit of Typhoon Ompong victims.

For updates, announcements, and other details about the show, check the 2018 Manila Fountain Pen Show on Facebook and Instagram. Oh, and the show's official hashtag is #MNLFountainPenShow2018. See you there!

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About the 2018 Manila Fountain Pen Show logo: Ramil Vinarao, a freelance graphic artist, children’s book illustrator, and Mr. Mom created the #MNLFountainPenShow2018's official logo. Ramil took inspiration from the Jose Rizal Monument’s vertical orientation to juxtapose it against an upturned fountain pen nib.