How does it feel to have a starting price of one million USD clasped between your thumb and index finger? Gold nib at the ready, a blinding array of 1,259 diamonds (48 carats in total) glowing in the oncoming light and basking in the glory of a blend of solid platinum and Baccarat crystal. If Italian fine writing instruments company Montegrappa has pointedly done its job (pun not intended), then it should feel like peace – not between men, but rather, between Man and Nature with some proceeds going to the Peace Parks Foundation. Not an easy mission. But then again, a Montegrappa is not just your average pen.
The Peace Pen is but the latest example in a long line of celebrated writing instruments. Handmade, there are only 60 skilled craftsmen who produce between 40,000 and 50,000 of these beautiful pieces annually, of which 10 per cent are limited editions. Founded as Elmo and located by the shores of the Brenta River in the abundantly charming north-east Italian town of Bassano Del Grappa, the oldest Italian creator of fine writing instruments has been collecting a big name clientele since 1912. The company later changed its own name to Montegrappa (Italian for Grappa Mountains) where the Italians successfully warded off the Germans and Austrians during World War I.
It seems that everyone who is anyone in any field has, at one time or another, owned a Montegrappa: Sharon Stone, President Hosni Moubarak, President Vladimir Putin, Michael Schumacher and Sylvester Stallone, to name a handful. Bestselling author Paulo Coelho is its global ambassador. During World War I, ‘Lost Generation’ writers and sometime volunteer military ambulance drivers, Ernest Hemingway and John Dos Passos were also known to be avid fans.
And who could blame them. Still using artisanal techniques, Montegrappa has managed to skillfully combine tradition with technology. The time consuming eight-phase deep drawing, the highly complex die-casting which dates back to the fifth century involving a handmade three-dimensional sculpture blurred with more modern and innovative materials like celluloid, a type of plastic, that still takes about one year to produce. Montegrappa, also in an effort to work with the environment is prone to using acrylic resin, a synthetically produced organic product and the main component of plastic. And of course, every collection from ‘The Resin Collection’ to the custom-made pens uses titanium, sterling silver, 18-karat gold, platinum, sapphires, emeralds and diamonds. You can choose from the four regular collections as well as a captivating variety of limited editions.
The most innovative, probably, is the ‘Portrait Collection’ which approaches each pen as a canvas – albeit one made from 18-karat gold, rose gold or white gold – where you can have a predetermined pattern etched onto it, save for a small oval area where you can get your picture engraved (in vivid detail) on it for 20,550 USD and two months of patience.
In celebration of our region’s cultural heritage and influence, Montegrappa has created a limited Luxor Blue Nile collection with 1,912 pieces in sterling silver or 18-karat gold. This stunning pen epitomizes Montegrappa’s attention to detail and its ability, through breathtaking symbols, to be a narrative. In this case, it’s a gripping play on the ancient notion of the relationship between life, creation and eternal life.
With such a solid understanding of aesthetics, it’s no wonder that even in the age of digital communication, a handful of pen-lovers – I have the pleasure of using the Miya Rollerball daily – wrap their fingers around this goldmine.
Contacts
Montegrappa Beirut
Wadih Mrad
Tel +961 1 33339
HYPERLINK "http://www.montegrappa.com" www.montegrappa.com
Montegrappa Dubai
Rivoli Emirates Tower
Tel +9714 33 03264
HYPERLINK "http://www.montegrappa.com" www.montegrappa.com
Montegrappa Cairo
First Mall
Tel +202 620 0000
HYPERLINK "http://www.montegrappa.com" www.montegrappa.com
