Montblanc Ladies Edition Pearl

[lgsoltek]

Behold, a Miles Davis Jazz Blue for you “ladies”! According to Montblanc this “Pearl” is one of the two “ladies edition” inks and is inspired by Marilyn Monroe. They must really love her as much as they love Miles Davis. And hoorah! It’s 2019 and apparently Montblanc thinks what you ladies deserve is a tiny drop of red dye in 50ml of water. There you are, pink for the girls! You would probably get something darker if you dump any bottle of red ink from any brand in the washing machine and put it through three wash-rinse cycles. To call this an “ink” and sell it at 35.3 euros is an insult to all those hard-working ink makers out there like Osamu Ishimaru (Sailor), Konrad (KWZI), Robert Oster, etc.

Montblanc used to be relevant in the ink business. Every one of their inks could be considered a classic (Irish Green, Corn Poppy Red, and all those much sought-after limited editions, Winter Glow, Hitchcock…). Somewhere near the end of 2016 Montblanc jumped the shark with the release of Miles Davis Jazz Blue, and shortly after that they increased rather drastically the per-unit price with the arrival of UNICEF Blue. Since then they seems to be releasing only rather uninteresting things (apart from a few exceptions like Beatles, Swan Illusion, etc.). They are currently messing with their main line as well, discontinuing great inks like Corn Poppy Red and replacing it with watery pinky reds like Modena Red, while of course not forgetting to raise their price. I don’t know what you other people think, but I don’t even bother to check out their different limited edition inks anymore.

This liquid has a normal to dry flow resulting in some railroading in flex nibs. It has quite a lot of shading between invisible and barely visible. No water resistance at all.

Splash

Sample

(Rhodia)

(Tomoe River)

Comparison

(I thought Toucan Magenta was the most horrible pink. I was wrong.)

[lapis]

Nice review of a new MB flop. Either the prices are too high or the colors are too low. I think they're going down the drain. Whine... and they used to make such good inks! Good thing I'm not into pinks.

[DrDebG]

Thank you for the very nice review. This one just didn't do it for me.

[Uncial]

Looks ok to me but not really into pink inks but I did enjoy sailor Sakura which looks quite similar to this. I've grown to really love some watery and pale inks and the word is certain parts of Asia go crazy for them.

 

Perhaps though you are being a little unfair on Montblanc. By ml there are plenty of inks out there that are a lot more expensive, but that aside it's been a good inky year with Beatles purple, Homer blue, emerald, petrol Blue, swan illusion, two excellent Little Prince inks, a jungle green Kipling, Purdey & Sons, Hadrian red a great new orange and now five new shades of blue all coming in July. Personally Montblanc has provided me with more desirable ink this year than any other brand. But then.....I am one of those weirdos who thought the Miles Davis ink was alright. Not really my thing but it looks ok in a double broad and it was a match for his blue blazer.

[Intensity]

 

But the splash is lovely! Can we develop a splash-calligraphy? Splash language for the ink aficionados?

[Intensity]

P.S.: this is very timely, as I had been pondering the meaning of the latest Kobe L.E. #71:

 

[Michael R.]

I really like the unique and pastel shades.

 

I really liked the bright Pink Ink and currently use Pop Pink. Will try Pearl maybe in a vintage flex pen :-)

 

Cheers and thank you for your review.

 

Michael

[inkstainedruth]

 

Behold, a Miles Davis Jazz Blue for you “ladies”! According to Montblanc this “Pearl” is one of the two “ladies edition” inks and is inspired by Marilyn Monroe. They must really love her as much as they love Miles Davis. And hoorah! It’s 2019 and apparently Montblanc thinks what you ladies deserve is a tiny drop of red dye in 50ml of water. There you are, pink for the girls!

I'm starting to think that MB just doesn't like women at ALL, and/or doesn't believe we should be using fountain pens.

The Marilyn Monroe pen was pretty awful. I don't know who they thought their market was for that monstrosity, since I couldn't see any man being caught dead using one, and most women of MY acquaintance would be going "WTH?" Just like I did when I saw it. That Pearl ink is pretty atrocious and so light as to be illegible; and that other pink they came out with a while back was even WORSE (unless I'm misremembering and this is the same stuff...).

Not only does MB NOT get a thumbs up, I give them the "one-finger salute" (I'd post a photo but that would get this topic locked pronto...).

Frankly, if MB wants to go back to the 1950s, they lose DOUBLY because I will just go back to using my Parker 51s.... Even more than I do now.... You'd think that they would actually want to consider joining the 21st Century. Especially after the "Me Too" movement. (Oh, not selling enough pens to women? Maybe they might want to consider what they're actually trying to SELL us.... I've already had that argument with Pilot over them only selling the "girly" colors of Decimos in the US, and ended up having to get one from a Japanese seller instead to get what I wanted (the Light Grey, which is stellar and way more attractive a color than "Champagne Pink" -- blecch).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Intensity]

Variety and more options is a good thing, though. I don’t own a Pilot VP/Decimo, but the pink looks good—as does the gray and a number of other colors. Here on FPN we do have members who appreciate translucent watercolor-look inks over dark and saturated types. All I can say is “Not for me”, but someone else might find this ink just right. Since these colors are limited editions, they can be practically anything.

[VivaTerlingua]

Thanks for sharing, I had hoped that it was going to be about 200% more saturated like Kobe #30. Not loving the pastels trend as of late, personally.

 

I also kinda hate the idea of a "ladies edition" ink to begin with, suggests that women who don't like the color aren't "lady-like." I know my wife would laugh at this ink and continue writing with her favorite (apparently very unlady-like) color, kelly green.

[Intensity]

Thanks for sharing, I had hoped that it was going to be about 200% more saturated like Kobe #30. Not loving the pastels trend as of late, personally.

 

I also kinda hate the idea of a "ladies edition" ink to begin with, suggests that women who don't like the color aren't "lady-like." I know my wife would laugh at this ink and continue writing with her favorite (apparently very unlady-like) color, kelly green.

 

Kelly Green has been a very popular color for fancy handbags, so it's definitely not unlady-like Pink used to be a color for boys / men the early 20th century.

 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/when-did-girls-start-wearing-pink-1370097/

 

"For example, a June 1918 article from the trade publication Earnshaw's Infants' Department said, “The generally accepted rule is pink for the boys, and blue for the girls. The reason is that pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.”

 

"In 1927, Time magazine printed a chart showing sex-appropriate colors for girls and boys according to leading U.S. stores. In Boston, Filene’s told parents to dress boys in pink. So did Best & Co. in New York City, Halle’s in Cleveland and Marshall Field in Chicago."

[Honeybadgers]

Not gonna lie, I think this ink's name is pandering and just a little bit sexual (Not in a fun way either)

 

It's also ugly. Not a really soft "baby's cheeks" pink. Just a heavily chewed bubblegum pink.

[Patrick L]

Looks ok to me but not really into pink inks but I did enjoy sailor Sakura which looks quite similar to this. I've grown to really love some watery and pale inks and the word is certain parts of Asia go crazy for them.

 

Perhaps though you are being a little unfair on Montblanc. By ml there are plenty of inks out there that are a lot more expensive, but that aside it's been a good inky year with Beatles purple, Homer blue, emerald, petrol Blue, swan illusion, two excellent Little Prince inks, a jungle green Kipling, Purdey & Sons, Hadrian red a great new orange and now five new shades of blue all coming in July. Personally Montblanc has provided me with more desirable ink this year than any other brand. But then.....I am one of those weirdos who thought the Miles Davis ink was alright. Not really my thing but it looks ok in a double broad and it was a match for his blue blazer.

I never tried Sailor Sakura, but yes, it definitely looks very similar to this ink on my screen.

[lgsoltek]

Trust me, even Sailor Sakura-Mori is much darker than this thing.

[Uncial]

Gosh, that is pale! In a medium nib Sakura writes a pale enough line.

[Patrick L]

Trust me, even Sailor Sakura-Mori is much darker than this thing.

Cette chose, ce machin, ce truc,cette insoutenable légèreté de l'encre ...

 

[Honeybadgers]

Trust me, even Sailor Sakura-Mori is much darker than this thing.

 

I like the sailor sakura. Not a color I'd used, but I like the color. It really does capture the color of sakura flowers.

[Mannyonpil]

I'm starting to think that MB just doesn't like women at ALL, and/or doesn't believe we should be using fountain pens.

The Marilyn Monroe pen was pretty awful. I don't know who they thought their market was for that monstrosity, since I couldn't see any man being caught dead using one, and most women of MY acquaintance would be going "WTH?" Just like I did when I saw it. That Pearl ink is pretty atrocious and so light as to be illegible; and that other pink they came out with a while back was even WORSE (unless I'm misremembering and this is the same stuff...).

Not only does MB NOT get a thumbs up, I give them the "one-finger salute" (I'd post a photo but that would get this topic locked pronto...).

Frankly, if MB wants to go back to the 1950s, they lose DOUBLY because I will just go back to using my Parker 51s.... Even more than I do now.... You'd think that they would actually want to consider joining the 21st Century. Especially after the "Me Too" movement. (Oh, not selling enough pens to women? Maybe they might want to consider what they're actually trying to SELL us.... I've already had that argument with Pilot over them only selling the "girly" colors of Decimos in the US, and ended up having to get one from a Japanese seller instead to get what I wanted (the Light Grey, which is stellar and way more attractive a color than "Champagne Pink" -- blecch).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

As for the ink itself, I kind of like it but I do not generally use inks of this color. I much prefer darker blues, greens, browns, and greys etc.

 

As for the marketing, it is more than a little retrograde, no? Do they also have a manly ink, maybe one that matches the pipe tobacco, dark wood paneling, and leather upholstery of my study? Is it okay if, as a man, I use this new pink ink? Will it clash with my fez and smoking jacket?

 

"We're sorry, Mr. Mannyonpil, this ink is clearly for the ladies. We cannot allow you to purchase, own, or use this ink."

 

"But I kind of like it..."

 

"Sorry this is for The Ladies only!"

 

"But, but, gender is just a social construct! A performance, really."

 

"Look, just leave your social theory out of this and go write with those blue inks you like so much. Blue is for boys, after all!"

 

"I do like blue but maybe I might want to try some of this pink you've got here; I like the shading."

 

"You seem pretty shady yourself, you non-conforming ink creep. Get out of here before we call security!"

[Mannyonpil]

 

Kelly Green has been a very popular color for fancy handbags, so it's definitely not unlady-like Pink used to be a color for boys / men the early 20th century.

 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/when-did-girls-start-wearing-pink-1370097/

 

"For example, a June 1918 article from the trade publication Earnshaw's Infants' Department said, “The generally accepted rule is pink for the boys, and blue for the girls. The reason is that pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.”

 

"In 1927, Time magazine printed a chart showing sex-appropriate colors for girls and boys according to leading U.S. stores. In Boston, Filene’s told parents to dress boys in pink. So did Best & Co. in New York City, Halle’s in Cleveland and Marshall Field in Chicago."

This is really interesting. I had no idea!

[Michael R.]

Mix it with some Purdy ink from Montblanc ;-)

 

Cheers

 

Michael

 

PS: I was allowed to buy it and will try it out soon