Technically, Pelikan Edelstein Rose Quartz ($33.50 for 50ml bottle) was the Pelikan Ink of the Year for 2023. However, I didn’t acquire a bottle until this year and then I forgot where I put it. Despite Rose Quartz being a limited edition ink, there are still bottles floating around in various online pen shops. If you want to grab a bottle, I recommend doing it now before the only ones left are double the price on the secondhand market.
The photos of Rose Quartz are deceptively vivid. The color is much more complex and subtler in person. Having looked at various other web sites, I realize I am not the only person who had trouble catching the subtleties. This ink photographs much differently than it appears in person. I really do recommend grabbing a sample or bottle to get a true sense of this color for yourself.
That said, this is a surprisingly subtle, sophisticated pink. In my research, I saw various ink swatches online that do not do the color justice. Some looked washed out, others were glaringly bright. The actual color is a smoky pink with a multichromatic halo that is purple and coral. I notice the purply hints more on Col-o-ring paper. On Tomoe River, the ink shows a bit more orangey-coral hues. In the swatch, the granulating color is quite noticeable but when writing, especially with finer nibs, that granulation is less noticeable. For such a light color, even with a fine nib, the color is visible and actually dries a bit lighter than when wet which is a bit different than a lot of inks (J. Herbin’s lighter colors often write very light wet and darken as they dry. Rose Quartz is different which is great for anyone like me who uses more fine nibs but still likes lighter ink colors.)
When compared with other inks, Monteverde Rose Pink is probably the closest but its considerably brighter.In natural light, Robert Oster Australian Opal Pink looks the closest in hue though finer nibs write much lighter. The Sailor and J. Herbin inks are more reddish in hue making them feel more like dusty roses.
I definitely recommend that if you like pink inks, you should try to grab a bottle or sample of this ink. It photographs so differently than it appears in person. I wish I could find a good example that shows the color accurately but I couldn’t get my photo edited in a way that showed the color accurately nor could i find anyone else who could do it. It’s like it doesn’t want anyone to know how lovely it really is.
