Today’s Pelikan Golden Lapis ink review features the 2024 ink of the year from Pelikan’s popular Edelstein ink collection. If you’ve never been exposed to Pelikan’s ink of the year releases, this is a pretty good one to stumble across. Read on for the full review!
More About the Ink Maker: Pelikan
Do you know Pelikan Pens? If you’re already very familiar, feel free to skip this section and jump to the next! If not, it’s time you got a few basics. The pen and ink maker was founded in Germany in 1838; it’s one of the oldest pen companies that’s still active in the pen industry. The company actively produces a very wide range of products, from pens aimed at children to luxury limited edition Pelikan fountain pens. Their Pelikan Edelstein Ink Collection is very popular amongst writers, artists, and general fountain pen fans, with many looking forward to the release of the year’s limited edition Ink of the Year.
The Ink Series: Pelikan Edelstein Ink of the Year Collection
As the Pelikan Edelstein Ink of the Year Collection features a series of limited edition fountain pen inks released annually in limited quantities, this isn’t the type of collection that lends itself to being “collected” all at once. If you hope to collect numerous Pelikan Edelstein Ink of the Year inks, you’ll have to look around and see what you can find that’s left from the previous year’s ink releases. However, the 2024 ink of the year release can definitely still be had (as of the date of this article, August 2024).
Today’s Ink, Pelikan Golden Lapis, 2024 Ink of the Year:
Pelikan Golden Lapis ink is a vibrant blue hue refined with a gold shimmer. We weren’t sure how exciting a blue ink would be – even with gold shimmer involved, but the first time we got this ink out and put it on paper, we had to recognize why Pelikan decided to make it their 2024 ink of the year. It’s definitely a looker.
Enter to Win This Week’s Featured Ink: 15 on the 15th, Giveaway Day with Pen Chalet
***Looking for the giveaway that usually accompanies our weekly ink reviews? As always, we’ll forgive you if you skip straight to the bottom of the Pelikan Golden Lapis ink review and enter to win. The inks featured in our weekly ink reviews are featured as giveaway prizes during our upcoming monthly 15 on the 15th: GIVEAWAY DAYS with Pen Chalet. Check out all the 15 on the 15th fun; you’re going to love it.
It’s Time: Pelikan Golden Lapis Ink Review
For this Pelikan Golden Lapis ink review, we put the featured Edelstein ink through our standard ink review tests. Check out all the results below.
Ink Review Testing Factors (to keep things scientific):
As we often do, we used a French-made J. Herbin spiral glass dip pen (with a tip comparable to a medium-fine fountain pen nib). We conducted the tests on French-made Rhodia lined paper paper in one of their top staple-bound notebooks. Don’t forget that different papers or different nib sizes may produce different results!
What Sort of Ink Bottles Does Pelikan Use for the Edelstein Inks?
The Pelikan Edelstein Golden Lapis ink is the 2024 ink of the year, and it’s packaged in a 2024 labeled ink of the year box. The box is made of sturdy material, and inside the box, protective material is used to further protect the glass ink bottle during shipment. The Edelstein ink bottle is a rectangular, display-quality ink bottle with a heavy weighted bottom, and a gold twist on/off cap. The ink’s color is clearly labeled on both the box and the ink bottle.
How Did This Week’s Ink Fair in the 1-Dip Test?
We use the 1-dip test to see how far one dip can write on paper (dipping the pen into the ink only once). During our Pelikan Golden Lapis ink review, the ink was able to write across the paper on all three writing samples with plenty of ink left over on the tip of the dip pen. (Using only one dip per writing sample “S” “X” and scribble lines, see the image above).
How Fast Does the Pelikan Golden Lapis Ink Dry?
Pelikan Golden Lapis fountain pen ink had a fast dry time (approx. 5 seconds). Since fast dry time is a coveted ability for everyday inks, Golden Lapis could be used as an everyday ink choice for those who don’t mind incorporating a shimmer into their “everyday” ink collection.
Does This Week’s Fountain Pen Ink Bleed Through?
We saw absolutely no bleeding during normal use on Rhodia dot pad paper. Additionally, there was no bleed through during the cotton swab test (even at the heaviest saturation points).
Did Golden Lapis Ink Feather?
We didn’t see any featuring of the Golden Lapis fountain pen ink during our review either.
How Does the Ink Stand Up to Water?
Pelikan’s Golden Lapis ink is not waterproof, but we like to put all our inks through a water test to see how well (or not) they withstand exposure to water. For the water test, we let our ink sample dry for about 3 minutes before we ran a wet cotton swab over the sample to see how the ink responds to the exposure to water. Here are the results we saw during our Pelikan Golden Lapis ink review water test:
- Slight line distortion
- Very slight feathering
- Very little fading
- Clear, visible lines are still present
- Some color smearing running the wet swab over the ink sample (especially the portions featuring the gold shimmer)
Does Pelikan Golden Lapis Ink Have Good Shading Traits?
During the Pelikan Golden Lapis ink review, we saw some good shading traits – from dark blue to lighter shades of blue.
Is There Any Shimmer or Sheen to Look Forward to with Pelikan Golden Lapis Ink?
We also saw plenty of golden sheen dispersed throughout the writing samples (especially apparent in the ink swab test seen above).
Final Conclusion: Pelikan Golden Lapis Ink Review
After completing the Pelikan Golden Lapis ink review, I am a fan of the ink. Before I conducted the test and got up close and personal with this ink, I wouldn’t have said I needed a new blue ink or a new gold shimmer ink. However, there is no chance that this ink won’t make its way into my personal ink collection immediately. I really appreciate the versatility of this ink combined with the contrasting elements. Golden Lapis ink’s quick dry time and clear blue color make it a solid everyday ink choice. However, the vivid element of the blue and the thoroughly dispersed gold shimmer that shows up so well against the bright base bring a lot of fabulous to this “solid” and dependable ink choice. So, for those of you out there who don’t feel like limiting yourself to a basic blue everyday ink but also don’t want to get too crazy, maybe this is the perfect compromise that will bring harmony to your pen and ink world for good. In addition to the great dry time, excellent color, and shimmer, it also offers some shading and the fantastic Edelstein ink bottle that so many pen enthusiasts love.
To put it simply, well done, Pelikan. {insert slow clap here}.
Enter to Win This Week’s Ink, Next Week’s Ink & More
Look for the bottle of Pelikan Golden Lapis Ink used in this week’s ink review as one of the giveaway prizes in our next 15 on the 15th: Giveaway Day with Pen Chalet! Enter to Win now at PenChalet.com.
