Faber-Castell Pen of the Year 2011 “The Jade Pen”

 
It was the end of a chilly winter and we were all getting ready to welcome the spring.
The phone rings and the customer care answers with the usual warmth you get when calling Pen Boutique. “Thank you for calling Pen Boutique.This is Cindy speaking. How may I help you?” . “I heard about Faber Castell Pen of the year 2011 and I would like to place order for that” said an elderly gentleman who is ordering from us for the first time. Cindy,quickly said in her pleasant tone “We are taking only preorders on that,as the pen is supposed to arrive only by end of March”. He said, “No problem,I would like to place a order and get it shipped when it comes in”.
Spring came and it kept the entire town wet all the time,but the pen had some issues coming from Germany and it kept getting delayed.Frustration among customers started growing.Since then, the gentleman kept calling every other day to know whether the pen has arrived or not. Cant blame him,that’s the kind of reception the pen has had among pen enthusiasts.
It’s that time of year again. Time for pools, ice cream, walks in the park and “The Pen of the Year” from Faber-Castell is finally here and all the preorders has been shipped.We special ordered a few more because of the interest it has created in the past many months. All the customers who received the pens have nothing but good things to say about this pen.

Every year since 2004, Faber-Castell creates a uniquely designed pen that distinguishes itself from all other pens. The series represents a one of a kind union of art and technology coming together to create a unique writing experience. They represent a distinctive tone and elegance that makes them a marvel(did I say marbel?)  to write with and are very pleasing to the eye. The 2011 Pen of the Year is absolutely no exception.

The Faber-Castell 2011 Pen of the Year is a tribute to artmans. Faber-Castell uses Russian jade(Jade is also found in China,India) or nephrite, to bring a new level of design to the Pen of the Year series. Known by many as a bringer of luck(could be a good addition to hit that jackpot) , symbol of power(Did superman……?) , elixir of immortality, jade is an ornamental stone and has always been surrounded by a special aura.
 
Jade is not easy to come by and is extremely difficult to work. Used by many civilizations, jade has inspired craftsmen through the ages to create amazing works of art. Extraordinary skill is required to bring out the amazing qualities of this gemstone. Faber-Castell uses eight segments of jade on the Pen of the Year 2011, symbolizing the eight generations that have made their mark on the family firm to date.

Now that we got that out of the way, let’s get to the meat and potatoes of it. The moment you first lay your eyes on this pen, you quickly notice its 2” inch long jade segments. Jade is an interesting stone because it is a subtle stone that still catches your attention very easily. The stones are surrounded by a platinum plated frame that complements the stones very nicely and do not overpower the jade at all. The next thing you notice is the weight. As soon as you pick it up you can really feel the weight of this instrument. With a pretty hefty weight and close to 5 1/2 inches long from cap to cap, this pen of the year has plenty of substance. Almost half of the weight seems to be on the cap itself. Once the cap comes off though, you instantly feel like writing. The pen fits very comfortably in your hand and has a great feel to it. It has a screw on cap with the classic Faber-Castell spring action clip with one downside. The cap does not post. It will protect the nib very well though.
 
Faber-Castell has incorporated green gemstones that celebrate Faber-Castell’s 250th anniversary. The emerald-colored stones on the cap and blind cap are delicately mottled with a deep green that really shows some unusually appealing shadings.

There are many processing steps that are required before a piece of jade can be inserted into these pens. From the first slice of the raw stone to the final polish, the artist must recognize its unique nuances and bring out jade’s nature. Only very experienced jewelers can achieve that. Only the most experienced artists can master the cuts typical of jade. These are chiseled piece by piece to create a masterpiece in stone. This chiseled jade is found in Siberia, but the exact location has always been one of the dealer’s best-kept secrets. Needless to say, real jade is usually not found at your local hardware store.
The faceting of the stones on the barrel are really the crowning glory of the Pen of the Year. Immaculately faceted and polished, the jade is given its final and perfect form by a master craftsman of the Stephan gemstone manufactory. All of this backed by the long tradition of the Idar Oberstein workshops that were set up in the 15th century and now enjoy a world-wide reputation. So, it seems like they know what there doing.
For more intricate details about how the pen was  made,please click here –> Graf Von Faber Castell
 
The 18-carat bicolor gold nib is very smooth available in Fine, Medium, and Broad nib sizes, each one ‘run in’ by hand. The platinum-plated end cap, or blind cap, protects the twist knob for the filling piston mechanism.

Each pen is individually numbered and comes in an exclusive wooden case. The green lid is polished to a high gloss and is a very nice touch to the whole design. It’s the kind of box that gets you curious and makes you wonder what is inside. Included is a certificate that bears the personal signature of Count Anton Wolfgang von Faber-Castell (Click the link to read an interesting article about him on Money Week magazine), reminding you that what you hold in your hands is the limited edition Pen of the Year 2011.

The Faber-Castell Pen of the Year 2011 is absolutely a must have for any pen enthusiast. It’s also a prefect birthday gift for anyone born in the month of March since jade is listed as the mystical birthstone for the month of March and is also the birthstone for the sun sign Virgo. A beautiful design and immaculate engineering backed by the Faber-Castell name, the “jade” pen is a sight to behold and a fine writing instrument to be had.

For those of you ,who are reading this and you are holding one of these prized possessions in your hand..I have one to thing to say . This is going to be the pen you would cherish for a long time.

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Faber Castell Pen of the year 2012–It glitters and its Gold

It’s all very astounding, really. I always think, that’s it. There’s nothing more that can be done. That is the most beautiful, emblematic and flawlessly constructed pen I have ever seen. I always think that I’ve seen all I can possibly see in the realm of pen craftsmanship short of a built-in-watch, (You hear that, Montblanc? Visconti? I want my royalties when one of you patents that) but something always comes along that completely blows me out of the water with its brilliance. Right now, this emotional phenomenon is all because of Faber-Castell, a company from whom I have now learned to expect nothing but greatness. Greatness, however, does not begin to describe their latest starlet: Graf Von Faber Castell 2012 Pen of the Year. I’m not afraid to admit it, but I’ve been looking forward to each year’s installment of the Pen of the Year collection for a long time now. Cheesy, I know, but there’s just something that’s absolutely captivating about this collection. Ever since they presented the first model in 2004 – an amber-inspired tour de force that was as fascinating as it was invaluable – The Pen of the Year has never failed to be anything less than marvelous. Let us begin our dissection of this modern marvel by starting with its body.

Surprisingly enough, the barrel is made out of wood – but it’s no ordinary wood. Far too important to be made out of something as commonplace as pine or cedar, the 2012 is made out of an ancient wetland oak wood carefully cultivated from Germany’s bogs and marshes. This special oak takes centuries to form, and many of the wood pieces used in this collection have been buried for more than 8,000 years. The recovery of wetland oak wood is a matter of chance, and this makes each and every piece as unique as it is mysterious. (You could almost consider them a portable National Heritage Site .)



Whether it’s The Golden Fleece, the Nibelung Hoard or the Philosopher’s Stone – no matter the medium, there has been no metal that has so wholly captivated and controlled the entire world as gold. Since the dawn of time this precious element has bedecked emperors, sparked wars, and it was for this very material that the entire Western Hemisphere was traversed. (“The gold of Cortez, the jewels of Pizarro…the gold we find here will dwarf them by far…”) Faber-Castell has incorporated this utterly timeless material in the 2012 installment by using a system that made sure nothing could possibly be left to chance. The next step in creating these pens is a process so delicate and precise that only a select few gilders in the entire world are capable of implementing it. Ernst D. Feldmann, a master gilder and church painter, has studied Venetian gilding techniques for years and has been awarded the Bavarian State Design Award. It was this skill and expertise that made Faber-Castell allow him to apply a gold covering to the wood using a 4,000-year-old, Ancient Egyptian technique. Using a fine squirrel-hair brush, multiple layers of 24K gold leaf are carefully painted onto the oak barrel in an intricate design.


The front tip of the pen features an impressive 18K bicolor gold nib that is available in line widths of fine, medium and broad with each one ‘run in’ by hand. The end cap protects the filling mechanism’s twist knob while the top cap is crowned with a chessboard faceted citrine gemstone. Every one of the meal fittings and finishes are 24K gold-plated and shinned to luminescence. (“So go for the gold, we know which is here, all the riches here…” Don’t look at me like that. You know that movie was amazing.) The final finishing is coated with a tough resin that skillfully presents an exceptional display of resplendence and beauty.

The 2012 Pen of the Year is a masterpiece in its own right, and never before have I seen a pen created with such subtle distinction and unmatchable superiority. It is a timeless piece of such pristine perfection that it is only expected that it is packaged with the same care and dedication that it took to make it. Limited to only 1500 pieces, each pen is individually serialized and comes in a striking deep black wooden case. It is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Ernst D. Feldmann. The Certificate is his personal attest to the uniquely complex process and materials that collaborated to create the precious treasure lovingly enclosed in the aforementioned box.

I could go on for ages about the fascinating mechanisms and historical mystiques embedded in the very nature of these pens, but it would take ages to go over each miniscule wonder that the crafters managed to implement. In the end, all you need to know is that this pen is a magnum opus fit for El Dorado.

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