The Well-Appointed Desk

Just last week I reviewed my new Pelikan M205 Apatite, so of course I had to check out the matching ink. As you know, each year I audition inks for addressing my holiday cards. My family and my husband’s family celebrate different religions, so the challenge is always to find something that’s festive and fun, but not too tied to any particular holiday. This year I wondered if Apatite was the answer?

Apatite is a turquoise blue, which leans towards blue-green, as does the gemstone apatite. This is one of my favorite colors, so it stands to reason that I have TONS of shades very similar to it in my inky stash. I immediately thought it was a good match for Sheaffer Green, and in certain lights it is. To be honest, I think the photo below is a bit skewed (my camera can’t do blues sometimes!) because I think Apatite leans more green, but in the photo it looks super close to Robert Oster Torquay.

I think I’m going to give it a go this year!

• Paper: Maruman Mnemosyne N182A Inspiration Notebook A5
• Pen: Delike Glass Signature Pen ($37.80)
• Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) and Col-o-Dex Rotary Cards ($15)
• Inks: Pelikan Edelstein Apatite (50mL for $35)

 

This is my first post as a traveling reporter! I’m spending the weekend down in Houston, TX at the Dromgoole’s store and have had the worst time choosing an ink to feature today. Sitting in the midst of hundreds of inks, I find it very hard to focus on any single color. So I’ve chosen an all-time favorite of mine, Robert Oster Las Vegas.

I inked up the best TWSBI on the market – the glow-in-the-dark purple Eco pen – with Robert Oster Las Vegas as soon as the pen arrived. The two are the perfect combination. TWSBI Eco pens feature a transparent body so sparkle inks are even more fun – almost as good as a lava lamp.

I was very surprised when I first swatched Las Vegas – most purple inks are too blue, too pink, so dark that they look black, or so light they aren’t legible.

The sparkle is what makes Las Vegas so amazing, however. It’s hard to tell if the glitter is silver or purple with this ink, but it is perfect. The sparkle is fine enough to flow easily through a feed and it shows well while writing.

The above and below photos are on Cosmo Air Light paper, so the blue undertones are more obvious. Below is a different light angle to show the sparkle.

Tomoe River paper (TR7) shows a redder ink, but surprisingly darker. Typically, ink looks slightly lighter on TR paper than Cosmo Air Light paper.

The photo below is again on Tomoe River paper, angled so you can see the shimmer.

As I said before, most purple inks are too light or too dark. I knew Las Vegas was special when I wrote on wheat straw paper and the shade was still fabulous.

The shimmer shows up very well on this wheat straw booklet.

As the first post of the Inkmas season, I hope you love this quick look at Robert Oster Las Vegas! It doesn’t look too Christmassy, but it is absolutely great for any celebration.

Teal and turquoise are among my favorite colors, so when I saw the Pelikan M205 Apatite, it was an insta-buy (approx. $149.23 via Appelboom). I preordered early and waited for a while and last week it finally arrived!

There’s not a lot to say about the M205 that we haven’t already said in the past:

• M205 Moonstone
• M205 Star Ruby
• M205 Demonstrator

The Pelikan M205 comes with a resin body, and trim in a variety of colors. They chose silver trim with the Apatite, and I think it’s a great match – blue and silver is so classy. The Pelikan M205 is a piston-filled model so no options for cartridges, but especially in the demonstrator body I think that adds interest. My inaugural fill was with a sample of the Pelikan Edelstein Apatite ink, made to match the pen! The only thing to know about Pelikan, particularly if you like finer nibs, is that Pelkans are definitely Western nibs, and often err on the wider side. They are available in EF, F, M and Broad; I chose a fine nib this time.

Pelikans are a great, albeit wet, writing experience. In playing with in the last week or two, I’ve really enjoy the fine nib. It’s wet enough to be very smooth (without being scratchy), but also fine enough for my tastes. Overall, I love the color of the Apatite and I’m always happy to add another bird to my effin’ (Pelikan) flock.

Disclaimer: The items featured in this post were all purchased with my own money and review contain my own opinions. For more information about review products please view our Sponsorship & Review Page.