Pelikan Edelstein Apricot Achat

[yazeh]

Pelikan Edelstein Apricot Achat

 

Ink Review # 221

 

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🧾 Description

 

Pelikan Edelstein Apricot Achat is the ink of the year 2025. Achat is the German word for Agate. I’m a bit confused by the naming, mixing English and German, as in French it translates into Apricot Buying; to each its own. 

 

Many thanks @Lithium466 for the sample. 🙏

 

It’s a wet bright orange ink, lacking in the lubrication department. It has subtle shading. It ghosted and bled through on copy paper and with a wet flex nib on Iroful and a bit on Rhodia. 

 

Despite a lovely name, I find the colour harsh and slightly fluorescent. But then I don’t like orange inks much.   

 

As the scans were off, I took photos only. 

 

As a writing ink it’s legible. I would say this ink is perfect for journaling on grey days, when we need brightness. For me its saving grace was in ink washes.  

 

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🧪 Chroma

 

 

 

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✍️ 📸 Writing Samples (Photos daylight and LED light)

I realized in mid-process of the review that some of my nibs weren’t cleaned properly. Hence the messiness.

Quotes: 

1.

1.     “In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect.”

—    Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer

2.     “Freedom is not the absence of necessity, but the knowledge of it.”

—    Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, German philosopher

3.     Thought is the courage of the intellect.”

—    Hannah Arendt, German philosopher

4.     “The stone is a frozen wave.”

—    Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer

5.     “One must still have chaos in oneself to give birth to a dancing star.”

—    Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher

 

Rhodia

 

 

 

Iroful

 

 

 

Midori 

 

 

 

Tomoe River 68gsm

Note: This is the 68 gsm, not the thinner 52 gsm version commonly referenced in reviews.

 

 

Hammermill 20lb  

 

 

 

Hammermill 20 lb copy paper back

 

 

 

Close-up:

 

 

 

 🔍 Comparison

Col-O-ring. Scans are more or less off.    

 

 

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 💧 Water Test

 

 

 

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 🎨 Artwork

A Grey Rose on an Orange day!

I love sketching on anything, while my cat takes a nap on my lap with my fountain pens. 

This was done on the back of a receipt. 

 

Jacques Herbin Gris Galet, Pelikan Edelstein Apricot Achat, unknown copy paper.

 

 

In the Now!

Another sketch of our cat, while she was sitting on my lap on the back of a the same receipt (copy paper) as above. 

 

Tintenlabor Tannewald (Green Iron gall ink), Pelikan Edelstein Apricot Achat, copy paper. 

 

 

 

Sunset 

Inktober52, 2025

 

Pelikan Edelstein Apricot Achat, Tintenlabor Tannenwald, Uniball Signo White Gel pen, A hint of Jacques Herbin Gris Galet & Bouton d'or.

 

 

Basket Case!

Inspired by our cat and her love of her basket. 

Mouse was mad at Kitty who wanted to have a long nap on such a bright and sunny day. 

 

Jacques Herbin Gris Galet (grey) , Pelikan Edelstein Apricot Achat (orange), Tintenlabor Tannenwald (iron gall dark green), Talens Mixed Media Notebook.

 

 

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- Pens Used: Pilot Kakuno F3A, Lamy (EF/F/M/B/ Stub 1.1) , Kanwrite Desire with a FPR Ultra-flex nib.

- What I Liked: Ink washes. 

- What I Did Not Like: Writing with, lack of lubrication, harshness.   

- What Some Might Not Like: Paleness, lack of lubrication.

- Writing Experience: Meh!

- Pros: For art.  

- Cons: Harsh ink. Lack of lubrication. 

 

 🧷 Ink Characteristics

 

- Shading: Subtle.

- Ghosting: Yes, on copy paper. 

- Bleed Through: Same as above. 

- Flow Rate: Wet. 

- Lubrication: Meh!

- Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. 

- Start-up: Ok. As I didn’t use 

- Saturation: Nope. 

- Sheen: No. 

- Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice.

- Nib Creep / Crud: Did not notice.

- Staining (Pen): No.

- Clogging: No.

- Cleaning: Easy enough. 

- Water Resistance: Not really. 

 

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 🛒 Availability

 

- Available in 50 ml bottled.

 

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 💬 Closing

 

I’m not a fan of orange inks for writing, but I enjoyed using it for background ink washes. 

 

No fountain pens were hurt in preparing this review.

 

Please don’t hesitate to share your experience, writing samples, or any other comments the more the merrier.  

 

 

 

[LizEF]

Thanks for another great review, @yazeh   I did some google translating and searching and decided you have every right to be confused by the naming.   Perhaps the folks who decide on the name figured that mixing languages would keep the product name unique so folks could find it rather than some pretty rocks.  

 

I'm surprised by the description of the color - the rocks don't look that bright, though there were a few exceptions.

 

Chroma: Oooh, upside down pink heart burning an orange flame. Hmm.  Are there Aztecs nearby?

 

Seems to look good on all papers except the copy paper, which sucks the life out of it - which really isn't surprising, given that it's a paper made for use by cubicle-dwellers.  

 

Hmm. The swatch and artwork look a little closer to the color I'm seeing for the rocks (agates).

 

Love water-test kitty's stripes!  Oh, and mousey, too!

 

The story for "A Grey Rose..." is as sweet as the drawing!    

 

I'm imagining "In the Now!" Kitty telling Mouse she'll eat him if he doesn't quit poking her with that umbrella tip!  (And Mouse knowing she doesn't mean it.)

 

Lovely sunset - I'm imagining them on a sea wall.

 

And "Basket Case!" is wonderfully charming!  What sort of crazy creature wants to do stuff when you could bask in the sun instead?  

Thoroughly enjoyable review, @yazeh!

[knarflj]

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

Chroma: Oooh, upside down pink heart burning an orange flame. Hmm.  Are there Aztecs nearby?

 

 

Not my colour at all, but I've been looking at all the mouse and kitty drawings over and over again.  Thanks, @yazeh!

[inkstainedruth]

@yazeh Definitely NOT a color for me (I got lucky last fall at my local Pelikan Hub because they didn't send enough bottles of Apricot Achat and I got a backup bottle of Edelstein Rose Quartz instead).  But thanks as usual for the comprehensive review and (of course) the fun artwork -- I particularly liked the one of Kitty and Mouse in the basket.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Lithium466]

Thank you for your review @yazeh, which is absolutely inversely proportional to how awful I found this inks in all my attempts to get something out of it (unfortunately). Hat's off.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Cute chroma; this time the falling dragon has extended a forepaw.

 

I love orange inks, apart from the wimpy Kaweco.  Had a sample of Sundowner, and a few others, plus MB Lucky Orange.  

 

The water test is interesting, and your Kitteh sketches are charming.  

 

The sun is just setting, and there's a teeny patch of orange on the horizon.  Thanks for this one, @yazeh

[Uncial]

It looks very like a less saturated form of the old formulation of Mandarin

[yazeh]

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

Thanks for another great review, @yazeh  

Welcome! 

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

I did some google translating and searching and decided you have every right to be confused by the naming.   Perhaps the folks who decide on the name figured that mixing languages would keep the product name unique so folks could find it rather than some pretty rocks.  

The whole lineup is about gems, as far as I know, Star Ruby,  Golden Lapis, or Rose Quartz. Probably they though Achat is better than Agate.  

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

I'm surprised by the description of the color - the rocks don't look that bright, though there were a few exceptions.

If you check some orange agates, they look quite shiny. But I'm not gem person, so the wrong person to opine.  

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

Chroma: Oooh, upside down pink heart burning an orange flame. Hmm.  Are there Aztecs nearby?

Maybe. Or it's the burning flame between Cat & mouse.  

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

Seems to look good on all papers except the copy paper, which sucks the life out of it - which really isn't surprising, given that it's a paper made for use by cubicle-dwellers.  

It actually look less harsh on copy paper. It sort of tones it down.  

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

Hmm. The swatch and artwork look a little closer to the color I'm seeing for the rocks (agates).

The swatch colours are off. Color is difficult to capture.  

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

Love water-test kitty's stripes!  Oh, and mousey, too!

Inspired by the agate photos I saw.  

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

 

The story for "A Grey Rose..." is as sweet as the drawing!    

 

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

I'm imagining "In the Now!" Kitty telling Mouse she'll eat him if he doesn't quit poking her with that umbrella tip!  (And Mouse knowing she doesn't mean it.)

He's saying continue poking that umbrella to the left, to the right.  Cat loves his head to be scratched. 😹

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

Lovely sunset - I'm imagining them on a sea wall.

Thanks! Yes it was inspired by a sunset by the sea.

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

And "Basket Case!" is wonderfully charming!  What sort of crazy creature wants to do stuff when you could bask in the sun instead?  

Very clever. 👏

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

Thoroughly enjoyable review, @yazeh!

Thank you. I never thought I could finish it on time.

 

[yazeh]

8 hours ago, knarflj said:

Not my colour at all, but I've been looking at all the mouse and kitty drawings over and over again.  Thanks, @yazeh!

 I enjoy drawing and sketching. It makes me happy, that my scribbles bring you joy.  

[yazeh]

7 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

@yazeh Definitely NOT a color for me (I got lucky last fall at my local Pelikan Hub because they didn't send enough bottles of Apricot Achat and I got a backup bottle of Edelstein Rose Quartz instead).

You were lucky.   

7 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

 

 But thanks as usual for the comprehensive review and (of course) the fun artwork -- I particularly liked the one of Kitty and Mouse in the basket.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Thanks! Kitty loves her basket and thanks you too.

[yazeh]

7 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

Thank you for your review @yazeh,

Welcome! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't experience Edelstein inks.  🙏

7 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

which is absolutely inversely proportional to how awful I found this inks in all my attempts to get something out of it (unfortunately). Hat's off.

I'm lucky that I draw. With many inks I manage to find a redeeming feature.  

[yazeh]

6 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Cute chroma; this time the falling dragon has extended a forepaw.

 

6 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I love orange inks, apart from the wimpy Kaweco.  Had a sample of Sundowner, and a few others, plus MB Lucky Orange.  

You might love this one.  

6 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

The water test is interesting, and your Kitteh sketches are charming.  

Thanks! 

6 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

 

The sun is just setting, and there's a teeny patch of orange on the horizon.  Thanks for this one, @yazeh

Most welcome. Sunsets are so lovely.  

[yazeh]

3 hours ago, Uncial said:

It looks very like a less saturated form of the old formulation of Mandarin

I believe you're right. This hasn't got any red in it. Or not much.  

 

[USG]

Hi Yaz

I posted earlier, I don't know where it went.....  Oh well...

Maybe I forgot to hit reply, I've done that before.

Anyway nice review as usual.

I have a few orange inks but I don't use them often.🙂

Hitting the LIKE Button....👍😀

[yazeh]

4 hours ago, USG said:

Hi Yaz

I posted earlier, I don't know where it went.....  Oh well...

Maybe I forgot to hit reply, I've done that before.

You're not the only one.  

4 hours ago, USG said:

Anyway nice review as usual.

Thanks!

4 hours ago, USG said:

I have a few orange inks but I don't use them often.🙂

Hitting the LIKE Button....👍😀

👍🙏

[chromantic]

Reminds me of Stipula Saffron.

[yazeh]

12 hours ago, chromantic said:

Reminds me of Stipula Saffron.

I haven't tried any Stipula inks, so I wouldn't know.

 

[Theotime]

Thanks for the review, @yazeh!

 

I think I'd like this ink (I've been meaning to get more orange inks, I "only" have Diamine Ancient Copper if that counts), but maybe not for this price without testing it myself before.

[yazeh]

1 hour ago, Theotime said:

Thanks for the review, @yazeh!

De rien! 🙏

1 hour ago, Theotime said:

 

I think I'd like this ink (I've been meaning to get more orange inks, I "only" have Diamine Ancient Copper if that counts), but maybe not for this price without testing it myself before.

Fountainfeder sells samples, it's the best place to start, before buying a bottle of ink you might or might not like.  

 

[Theotime]

48 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Fountainfeder sells samples, it's the best place to start, before buying a bottle of ink you might or might not like.  

Will check it out. Thanks for the recommendation!