Pen of the Year 2008

The Pen of the Year 2008 by Graf von Faber-Castell is a unique limited edition fountain pen, in magnum size, which incorporates the world's smallest herringbone pattern (parquet) of no less than 84 individually cut pieces of carefully-selected satinwood. Due to the naturally varying wood grain and colouring, no two fountain pens are the same and the craftsmanship is simply incredible. There is a chessboard-faceted citrine gemstone mounted in the end-cap, the metal fittings are platinum-plated and the nib is of bi-colour gold which has been largely hand-finished including a final 'running in' stage common to all fountain pen nibs in the Graf von Faber-Castell range. Medium, fine or broad widths available.

The edition is limited to manufacture during the year 2008 and, if all previous years are anything to go by, these delicious writing instruments are likely to sell out completely soon after the year end.

Owners may register their purchase with Faber-Castell for a professional clean and check which is completely free (correct at time of writing).

Each of these limited edition fountain pens is individually numbered and comes in an exclusive wooden case which includes a beautifully designed brochure plus authentication certificate bearing the personal signature of Count Faber-Castell.

More details on the Pen of the Year 2008 by Graf von Faber-Castell here.

New "Cognac" addition to the "Guilloche" writing instrument range by Graf von Faber-Castell

Cognac is the new colour in the Guilloche range of writing instruments by Graf von Faber-Castell. Guilloche describes the hand-finished texture on the barrels of these luxury writing implements. Being hand-finished means that every pen is very slightly different to the next. The whole range features a high quality rhodium coating on the cap, grip zones and lids. Also available are the original barrel colours of black, indigo blue and a version where the barrel is also rhodium-plated.

It is interesting to note that the addition of cognac coincides with the discontinuance of the sahara yellow and coral red variants - which we feel is a great shame, particularly as these had been a fun and colourful addition for the brand. Rumour has it, though, that there may be further new colours to come later in the year. We'll keep you posted.

All fountain pens in the luxury Graf von Faber-Castell range feature 18 carat bi-colour gold nibs with iridium tips. The nibs are also partly hand-finished which includes running in by hand.

The Guilloche range is available as a fountain pen in 6 nib widths (£220 incl. VAT), a rollerball pen (£160 incl. VAT), a propelling ball pen (£130 incl. VAT) and a propelling pencil (also £130 incl. VAT). Please note that VAT is only charged to customers in the EU. Outside Europe the prices are VAT-free, so for instance American customers will pay approximately 85.1% of the prices shown above.

The oldest fountain pen on the planet?

With a barrel made with 360 million year old petrified wood, Graf von Faber-Castell's "Pen of the Year 2007" could quite possibly get away with such a boast. Limited in reality to production only during the year 2007, this beautiful magnum-sized fountain pen should become an important collectors' piece and will regrettably not be available for too much longer (the Pen of the Year for the previous year, 2006, is on the verge of becoming completely sold out at time of writing; most preceding years' pens are already unavailable... maybe we should say 'extinct'!).

The eight fossilised wood panels inlayed around the barrel of the 2007 have been expertly crafted by world-class gemstone cutters to give a subtle sparkle which has many jewel-like qualities. Every pen is different because of the unique qualities in the petrified wood material.

The cap, ends and other metal components are platinum-plated and like a jewel in a crown there is an expertly inlayed petrified wood end-piece in the cap. Again, beautifully crafted and showing the grain of this rare but intrigueing stone material to great effect.

Like all Graf von Faber-Castell fountain pen nibs, the nib of the Pen of the Year 2007 is of 18-carat bicolour gold which has been 'run-in' by hand, the final stage of about 100 production procedures, many of them by hand, which go into the making of just the nib.

Supplied in a beautiful wooden case with a brochure and a certificate showing the personal signature of Andreas Crummenauer, the master craftsman of the Herbert Stephan gemstone manufactory, the fountain pen is available with a fine, medium or broad nib.

EU price (incl. VAT @ 17½%): £1840. Rest of the world (VAT-free): £1565.96 from www.pensfromheaven.com. More info....

The Pens From Heaven blog - welcome!

Pens From Heaven, is the home of fine or luxury pens and designer writing instruments from brands like Faber-Castell, Graf von Faber-Castell, Caran d'Ache, Pelikan, Tombow, Schneider, Sheaffer and Porsche Design. Available to buy online at www.PensFromHeaven.com, using any major credit card, debit card, or PayPal, our writing implements are truly “to die for”!

So, for fine, luxury or designer fountain pens, rollerballs, ball-point pens, mechanical pencils, propelling pencils, writing accessories or desk sets, pen refills and ink, please feel free to drop by the website and take a look! We have something for everyone and for just about any budget. Prices are amongst the most competitive and if you find an identical pen or product cheaper at another genuine pen retailer, please let us know and we'll do our utmost to beat it if we can, and give you a genuine saving.

With outstanding writing instruments, pens and accessories, we strive to always offer an outstanding personal service to match. After all, we want pen lovers to be happy and come back again! All online orders are personally acknowledged and subsequently despatched as soon as possible, most orders being despatched well inside a week, often the same day as the order comes in.

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