12.30.2014

Help Us Write our Year in Review

In a couple of days, 2014 shall be officially in the books. As we "turn the page" on 2014, we'd like to take the opportunity to reflect and evaluate our past year as a company.

From a behind-the-scenes standpoint, Goldspot had one of our most consistently busiest years. From new product and brand introductions to our new version of our website launched in September, we have been striving throughout the year to improve every facet of our business.

Since our business thrives on the relationship with our customers, we believe that the story of our year should be narrated by our customers. Our focus is to bring you the best selection of fine writing instruments at the most competitive prices with exceptional customer service. Even if you haven't ordered from us in the past year, but follow us on social media and read our blog, we still want to know if you believe we hit our mark.

Tell us if we've succeeded in our goal this year by filling out our quick, 2-minute survey

You can also feel free to post on our Facebook wall, tweet us @goldspotpens or leave a comment below to give us additional feedback. 

Thank you guys. Have a Happy & Healthy 2015!


12.18.2014

Noodler's Giveaway Result + Shipping Before Xmas

We had, hands-down, our most fun and interactive giveaway yet. A few weeks ago, we announced our new, bulletproof Noodler's Revolution Blue ink. To celebrate, we hosted a giveaway on this blog and our social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter. The theme was to let your "pen war cries" against the digital age fly.

The responses we received were creative, funny and encouraging. The pen community came out in force and represented big time! We randomly picked one of the few hundred entries. The winner is.....


Sot Yuxin

Please e-mail tom@goldspot.com directly with your information to claim your prize.

Thanks to everyone for participating in the giveaway!

Holiday Shipping Schedule

Now, on to business. Christmas Eve is upon us, which is the last possible day to either receive a USPS package or UPS express shipment. Here is a schedule leading up to Christmas Eve and how much our "Get it by Xmas" shipping will cost.


For the remainder of today, Thursday, December 18th, you can take advantage of our Free Shipping Day promotion where there is no minimum to get free shipping with your order. That means any refill or pen ships with $0 shipping charge. This party ends at 11:59pm.

Once Friday, the 19th comes, we are offering a special "Get it by XMAS" shipping method. Simply add any "Quick Ship" items to your cart and select the "Get it by XMAS" shipping method during checkout. We guarantee that your order will be expedited for shipment and we will try our best to get them to you on or before December 24th.

The "Quick Ship" items are available for immediate shipping, but sometimes inventory can run out quicker than our website can be updated. If this is the case, we will contact you as soon as possible to make alternative arrangements or give you the option to cancel. Although our engraving team is fast at work, churning out scores of engraved pens and gifts every day this month, if you select engraving on your order at this time, it may add an additional day to the shipping time. Visit our website for more details about our shipping schedule.

You will still be able to get free shipping on your order of $49 or more, but there is no guarantee that the economy shipping would be able to make the delivery prior to Christmas.

As always, call, chat or e-mail if you have a question or need help with placing your order. Happy Holidays!

12.05.2014

Noodler's Neponset Acrylic Pens Available Next Week

Well, Nathan Tardif, the "Willy Wonka" of the fountain pen world, has done it again. To follow up the gargantuan success of the Noodler's Neponset Ebonite Music Nib fountain pens, he has completed a very small batch of Neponset pens in acrylic colors, some of which share the same name as certain Konrad acrylic pens.

Some of the color names that we will be receiving include (UPDATED to include Photos) :

Emeralds on the Sun (no photo yet)
Forbidden City (no photo yet)
Black Python in Pearls (no photo yet)
Coral Sea

Marbled Mairanus


Bengal Tiger

Victory Garden

Himalayan Ruby

Lake Baikal

Appalachian Pearl

Ghostly Lapis

Inventory will be extremely limited. We expect to have them early next week and will be taking photographs the moment they arrive and will announce on our social media and through our e-mail newsletter (sign up here) when they will be available on the website for sale.

Most likely, this will be the last batch until after Christmas. Noodler's does plan on having more of the Black Ebonite and Red Rebellion Ebonite in the next few weeks, but there are no guarantees for Christmas delivery on those either.

12.03.2014

Noodler's Revolution Blue + Neponset Giveaway


December's Social Pen Giveaway in in honor of our first-ever collaboration with Noodler's Ink. We're giving away one bottle of our new, retailer-exclusive Noodler's Revolution Blue 3oz bottled ink AND a Noodler's Neponset Briarwood Ebonite fountain pen. Besides the fact that all the Neponset music nib fountain pens have sold out everywhere, this one is a limited production of only 7 that were made in the Briarwood Ebonite.


How To Enter

We want to hear your battle cry!

For decades, digital devices have marginalized the use of handwriting and penmanship in schools and businesses. Today, we rise up to let the masses know that we will not go quietly into the inky night. Proudly carry your Daily Arsenal of pens in your pocket. Show off your Spencerian and flex those nibs if you've got them.

You have (3) possible entries for this giveaway. One is by simply commenting on this blog post with your pen battle cry. The second and third entries can be obtained via Facebook and Twitter. If you have an account with either social network, simply find our page (details below) and Like or Re-Tweet the giveaway post below :

Join @goldspotpens in the fight against digital! Viva la Pluma! #PenRevolution http://bit.ly/1tF7Knq

(Feel free to add your own pen battle cry and tag it #PenRevolution)

Here is How to Enter (no purchase necessary) :
  1. Comment on this post (1 Entry / person)
  2. Click over to our page on Facebook or Twitter
  3. Post your Pen Battle Cry with the hashtag #PenRevolution
  4. "Like" or Re-Tweet the link to the giveaway above (1 Entry per Twitter and/or Facebook Account).
...and that's it! We'll keep track of all the entries and then choose a fan using a random number generator to select one lucky winner. Deadline for Entries is Thursday, December 18, 2014 at 2p ET.

We will contact the winner directly through either Facebook, Twitter or E-mail to obtain the shipping information and send out your Noodler's Neponset Pen & Noodler's Revolution Blue!

12.02.2014

Introducing Noodler's Revolution Blue Ink


In a collaboration between New Jersey-based Goldspot Pens & Noodler's Ink, we proudly present a blue so exceptional, it is "revolutionary." Themed after one of the most crucial battles in the American Revolutionary War that took place on New Jersey soil, Revolution Blue is 3 ounces of fountain pen ink that delivers on performance and color.

The saturated, medium-toned blue ink has a brilliant look on the page. It flows well in both a fine nib and a thick, wet nib like the Neponset music nib. Revolution Blue does have a significant degree of shading and a bit of purplish sheen when using a broader, wetter nib. Click the writing samples below for a larger detail view. The paper is an 80g Rhodia sheet with a custom InkJournal page template printed on it.



Drying time is about 10 seconds with a finer nib and 15+ seconds with the music nib. Once the ink dried, we performed a water droplet test on the scribble swatches and found that Revolution Blue, although may not be completely waterproof, is definitely water-resistant.

UPDATE : After contacting Noodler's to find the performance specifications of the Revolution Blue, it has been stated by the manufacturer that this ink is indeed considered to be Bulletproof, which means that it is UV resistant, fade resistant, forgery resistant, and waterproof. It might have been that in the sample below, I did not allow for enough time for the saturated ink areas to dry before doing the water test and smearing some of the ink around. As you can see in the scribbles at the ends, no smearing is present.


Coincidentally, we received this ink a few weeks before the 238th anniversary of George Washington's pre-dawn crossing of the Delaware on Christmas Day. This blue ought to make an excellent gift for the fountain pen lover on your list... or yourself (we won't tell).

11.26.2014

The Goldspot Black Friday Giveaway and Mega Sale

We've kicked off our Black Friday Weekend a day before Thanksgiving and wanted to let everyone know about the sale and the tremendous giveaway that we're hosting.


Combined with free US Shipping on orders of $49 or more, we are also including free gifts with orders that are $125 or more, including a bottle of Pelikan Edelstein ink color of your choosing. Place an order from today (Wednesday, Nov 26) through Cyber Monday (Dec 1) and enter one of the following promotion codes below to get your free gifts included on the order : 
  • JinHao + Parker Case + Edelstein Onyx Ink Promo Code GIFTONYX
  • JinHao + Parker Case + Edelstein Sapphire Ink Promo Code GIFTSAPPHIRE
  • JinHao + Parker Case + Edelstein Garnet Ink Promo Code GIFTGARNET
  • JinHao + Parker Case + Edelstein Topaz Ink Promo Code GIFTTOPAZ
  • JinHao + Parker Case + Edelstein Jade Ink Promo Code GIFTJADE
  • JinHao + Parker Case + Edelstein Adventurine Ink Promo Code GIFTADVENT
  • JinHao + Parker Case + Edelstein Ruby Ink Promo Code GIFTRUBY
  • JinHao + Parker Case + Edelstein Amber Ink Promo Code GIFTAMBER
  • JinHao + Parker Case + Edelstein Mandarin Ink Promo Code GIFTMANDARIN
  • JinHao + Parker Case + Edelstein Tanzanite Ink Promo Code GIFTTANZ
In addition to getting complimentary gifts with your order, you will also be included in our drawing for an Edison Fountain Pen ($149 value). Which Edison fountain pen is completely up to you!

To enter the drawing without placing an order, you can enter by posting on social media (Facebook, Twitter or Instagram) with a picture of your favorite black pen, black ink or black notebook and using the hashtag #GoldspotBlackFriday



Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. May your hearts and tables be filled with abundance and shared with those you love. 

11.17.2014

Pen of the Year 2014 Results

Today, we are announcing the Pen of the Year 2014 winner, which was determined by you, the reader's and followers of our blog and our company via social media. The voting took place last week from Tuesday, November 11th through Friday and involved several well-qualified candidates, including the Noodler's Neponset, Edison Glenmont 2014 Limited Edition, TWSBI Diamond 580 USA, Pilot Vanishing Point Metallics Collection and more.

The voting this year was very close. Only two votes separated the winner and the runner up.

And the winner of this year's honors goes to :



The Edison Glenmont 2014 Limited Edition

Each year, Edison releases a limited edition version of their pens in an acrylic and ebonite materials. The edition is exclusive to a group of committed buyers, most of which are previous owners of Edison fountain pens.

Congrats to Edison Pens on their 4th straight Pen of the Year victory. The victory is a testament to their quality of product and their prominence in the minds & hearts of writers around the world.

The runner up was the newly released Noodler's Neponset fountain pens, which had a tremendous showing, despite only being available in a very small quantity to the public. 

Thanks to everyone for participating, voting and sharing on social media! We love being able to host a fun contest like this each year and hope that you enjoy it as well.

11.11.2014

Voting is Now Open for Pen of the Year 2014


So, now that we got that business of the midterm elections over with, here comes the fun part : voting for your favorite pen released in 2014! We asked for your nominations and received a great response to put together a solid list of nominees that all deserve to be considered for this prestigious honor.

Please take a look at the nominees below. They are sorted in randomized order not to show any priority or preference. Please feel free to cast your vote and share this post with your friends so they may vote as well. Remember, this is all in fun!

Voting is open until Friday, November 14th at 2pm Eastern US time. We will announce the winner Friday afternoon.

11.04.2014

Call for Nominations - 2014 Pen of the Year

Today is Election Day here in America. The American public is called upon to exercise our right to vote, upholding the core values of democracy. 

No matter where you are in the world today, we invite you to please join us in voicing your opinion on a different, yet significantly important topic - the 2014 Pen of the Year!

goldspot 2014 pen of the year graphic

We need nominees from you, the pen-loving public, for your favorite choice of pen that was released in 2014. That could also include new finishes or colors of a pen model that has been around longer than the last year.

We'll sort through your comments to compile a list of nominees to vote on starting Tuesday, November 11th. Voting will last one week and will conclude with the official crowning of this year's winner. The Poll & Results will be posted here and on our social media accounts. So, please give us your suggestions and remember, it's all in good fun!

Here are some examples of pens that have made their debut in 2014 : Pilot Vanishing Point Metallic Colors, Lamy Studio Wild Rubin, Delta Unica, Pilot Copper Vanishing Point, TWSBI Diamond 580 USA, Parker Duofold Historical Colors, Montegrappa Miya Carbon, Visconti Homo Sapiens Crystal Swirl, Visconti Divina Elegance, Cross Peerless 125, Cross Year of the Goat, Waterford Beaumont, Platinum 3776 Century Nice Pur, OMAS William Shakespeare Ltd Ed., Pelikan M101N Tortoiseshell Red, Pelikan M600 Vibrant Green, the list goes on!

Remember, these are examples meant to get the brain juices flowing. Feel free to suggest any other pen, even if you aren't 100% positive it was made this year.

Past winners include:
  • Edison Menlo Fountain Pen (2013)
  • Edison Beaumont & Conid's Fountainbel Bulkfillder Demonstrator (2012)
  • Edison Collier Fountain Pen (2011)
  • TWSBI Diamond 530 Fountain Pen (2010)
  • Pelikan m205 Blue Transparent Fountain Pen (2009)
  • Online Newood Fountain Pen Calligraphy Set (2008)
Chat about the Pen of the Year Voting on social media using the hashtag #POTY2014

11.03.2014

Goldspot's Fountain Pen Day 2014 Celebration Sale

Each year, it's getting bigger and bigger. Fountain Pen Day is fast becoming a yearly tradition amongst fountain pen enthusiasts online, around the globe. We're looking to continue that tradition with our biggest celebration yet.

What is Fountain Pen Day?

Recognized the first Friday in November, Fountain Pen Day is a celebration of the writing instrument and rejoicing the act of writing. Write a letter to a friend, send someone an "intro to fountain pens care package," share photos of your fountain pens on social media, handwrite your tweets, or set aside some quiet time to write in your favorite journal. There are numerous ways to appreciate the pen and to promote the use of fountain pens in our modern, daily lives.

Goldspot Sponsors Fountain Pen Day with a Giveaway and Sale

As an online fine writing retailer and sponsor of Fountain Pen Day, we are doing our part this year to promote the use of the pen by giving away free fountain pens and ink for this weekend only. Starting Thursday, November 6th and concluding Sunday the 9th, we will be giving away Pilot Varsity fountain pens, Jinhao fountain pens and Namiki ink with orders placed during the weekend. To have your free pens added to your order, you will need the proper promo code, which we will be e-mailing to our newsletter subscribers on Thursday morning when the sale commences.


The Weekend Celebration concludes with the giveaway of a Pelikan Souveran M605 Marine Blue Fountain Pen to one lucky customer who places their order over the weekend. We will randomly select one customer from all the orders placed during the sale and include this beautiful fountain pen (retail value $595) with their order. As an added bonus, we are also including some great Fountain Pen Day bookmarks from the organizers of fountainpenday.org in every order purchased during the weekend.


Share your excitement for fountain pen day by using the hashtag #fountainpenday on social media.

10.28.2014

Noodler's Neponset Music Nib Pens are Coming...

Soon, #MusicNibMonday might become as popular as #FlexNibFriday on Instagram.


The eagerly-anticipated Noodler's Neponset fountain pen is due to be released on Friday. According to Luxury Brands, the US distributor of Noodler's Ink, we should have a very limited supply of these music nib fountain pens by early next week (November 5th, tentatively).

What's so great about the Noodler's Neponset?

Well, you may have heard about the Neponset through a giveaway that Nathan from Noodler's had done a while back as part of an art contest. The pen was given away, then the person who had received it sent it to two prominent fountain pen bloggers, Azizah from Gourmet Pens and SBRE Brown. To view the pen in action, check out the short video from Azizah below.


The pen's magic is in the music nib. This triple tined nib is affectionately called the the “Vishnu Victory” nib in honor of the 2.5 million World War II allied soldiers of India as well as the reference to the source for the ebonite used in the pen and the original Neponset Blimp. In the demo model that was reviewed, the nib performs smoothly on paper, giving the writer high degrees of line variation and flexibility.

The pen holds a large capacity of ink and sports the largest length of all the Noodler's pens models. You can find more details on the measurements on Gourmet Pen's blog post.



Like we mentioned earlier, the initial release will be of small quantity and will feature 4 different ebonite colors. There will be a Solid Black, Jade, Walnut & Chestnut Ebonite. The price will be $75 USD each. We will have them up on the website as soon as we check the pens in and get them photographed. We are not taking pre-orders at this time, since we are not sure of how many Neponset pens we will have in the initial shipment. Stay tuned and sign up on our e-mail list to be notified of the launch.

UPDATE 10/30/2014 : We are expecting to also have a limited number of "Red Rebellion" Ebonite Neponset pens. These will be the first of a series of limited production red ebonite pens that will vary in their patterns and/or colors from batch-to-batch. Below is what the first edition will look like. We're expected to receive a little over a dozen of these pens, so be sure to be signed up and follow us on social media for updates.






10.27.2014

First Look : Pilot Fixion LX Gel Ballpoint Pen

Ok Guys, so I've always taken a fancy to the Pilot Frixion Pen.  You can make a mistake and, just like a pencil, erase and rewrite like you never made it.  But unlike the pencil, the Frixion ink never smudges and you always get a fine point without ever having to run to a sharpener. Best part is, no pencil shavings.



Yesterday, I received the best early Christmas present ever.  The New Pilot Frixon LX Pen in my favorite color "Blue".  Unlike it's inexpensive counter part the Pilot Frixion Clicker, this pen is solid and extremely well made with a beautiful matte sheen.  It holds comfortably in the hand and has a very nice weight to it, giving the impression of higher quality and reliability.

As with most high-end pens, my first instinct was to twist the pen to deploy the tip.  No luck.  After a few seconds of fidgeting I'm delighted to realize the pen simply opens with a click from the precision crafted chrome clip.  And like you'd expect from Pilot, this pen writes like a dream. Smooth and Flawless! Removing the top cap allows you easy access to the Frixion "eraser," which is actually a plastic nub that creates the friction necessary to remove the thermo-sensitive ink.

Pilot is synonymous for quality and writing innovation and this Frixion LX does not disappoint. It is great to see the concept of the Frixion jump from the office supply line into the fine writing category with this high-grade version. This is a useful pen that you will be excited to take with you to the big meeting, that is for sure. 

10.23.2014

What's the Difference Between a Waterman Expert II and Expert III?

In the pen world, sometimes manufacturers can take the same model and update it to improve upon the design, tweaking the size, trims, nib or body shape enough that they need to release it as a "sequel" to the original. Such is the case for Waterman with their Expert II & Expert III New Generation.

The Expert II had long been one of the most popular modern Waterman pens. Their business-minded designs and elegant finishes look as nice as a Mont Blanc while being about 1/3 the price. In 2011, Waterman had updated the design ever-so-slightly and introduced the Expert III "New Generation." 

For the most part, Waterman did not mess around with a great pen. Here are some of the subtle differences, illustrated in our photographs below. Comparing apples to apples, we chose the Matte Black with Chrome trim in both Expert Series II & III.



Firstly, let's look at packaging. At the time of the Expert III's introduction, Waterman started shipping their Hemisphere, Expert, Perspective, Charleston & Carene Pens in a deluxe, satin blue Waterman gift box with cream-colored fabric interior. When we had purchased the last of the Expert II's, they arrived in the same presentation box. No difference with the packaging.



Looking at the "top" of the pen, the cap of the Expert III has more metal in the cap band, with "Waterman Paris" engraved into the metal. The same branding is imprinted into the lacquer band of the Expert II, giving the logo more contrast. The same goes for the opposite side of the cap, where you would see the word "France."



The overall body shape and size of the Expert had not changed one bit. Both pens are exactly the same length, girth and dimensions when capped, opened and posted. In fact, while taking the photographs for this post, I had mistakenly swapped the wrong cap on the body of the pen a couple of times. They are that similar!



The nib is really the only other main difference. The material is still the same polished stainless steel with plastic feed, but the nib graphic was updated slightly. Going for a more minimalistic approach, Waterman got rid of the hexagon that surrounded the "W" on the nib and made it larger while shrinking the "Waterman" name underneath.

Currently, we're running a special Weekly Dip (ends October 30th, 2014) that offers our remaining inventory of the Waterman Black Matte Expert II fountain pen at a substantial discount. The difference is price is astounding. Our current price for the Expert III is $134.95, but, for a limited time, the Expert II Black Matte fountain is $99.95, that's a whopping 25% off the already discounted sale price.







10.03.2014

October Pen Giveaway



Hey All,

Thanks to our good friends at Luxury Brands, we've got a nice giveaway of two pens to a lucky winner chosen at random. We're giving away one Noodler's Konrad Brush Pen and one Platinum Plaisir Fountain Pen. You can have any color, as long as it is black. :-)


This tandem can be a great match for artists looking to do some sketching or mixed media journaling. While you have fountain pen ink in the Platinum pen, you can have the Konrad brush pen loaded with water, or diluted ink to create beautiful ink washes on paper.

You have (3) possible entries for this giveaway. One is by simply commenting on this blog post. The second and third entries can be obtained via Facebook and Twitter. If you have an account with either social network, simply find our page (details below) and Like or Re-Tweet the giveaway post link.


Here is How to Enter (no purchase necessary) :
  1. Comment on this post (1 Entry / person)
  2. Click over to our page on Facebook or Twitter
  3. Find the link to this giveaway post.  It should be the most recent link.
  4. "Like" or Re-Tweet the link (1 Entry per Twitter and/or Facebook Account).
...and that's it! We'll keep track of all the entries and then choose a fan using a random number generator to select one lucky winner. Deadline for Entries is Friday, October 17 at 2p ET.

We will contact the winner directly through either Facebook, Twitter or E-mail to obtain the shipping information and send out your Noodler's Konrad Brush Pen & Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen!

8.29.2014

Keep Calm and Write with Waterman Serenity Blue

Waterman threw the fountain pen world in a confused frenzy a while ago when they had renamed their entire line of fountain pen inks. While the ink formulas have stayed the same, the names have taken on a vague complexion that requires us to relearn the colors over again. Let's get reacquainted with one of Waterman's best-selling colors, Serenity Blue (formerly known as Florida Blue).



Deep with saturation and rich with color, Serenity Blue can be categorized as a royal blue, leaning a bit towards the purple.  Dry time is 3-4 seconds on Rhodia 80gsm paper. Doing a water drop test reveals the ink as not being very water resistant. There is a slight bit of shading, even with an extra fine nib.

Courtesy of @inkjournal on Instagram
As with any Waterman ink, when the ink level starts running low, you can shift the 50mL glass bottle to make it easier to draw ink.

Waterman Serenity Blue (50mL) is our Ink of the Month for September 2014. An additional discount applies to this ink for the entire month of September or until stock runs out.

8.08.2014

New Nemosine Singularity Fountain Pen Colors

Following the addition of the Neutrino line, which we talked about last month, Nemosine has added 6 new color finishes to their best-selling Singularity line of fountain pens.

Meet the Nemosine Singularity in (from left to right) green, aqua blue, pink, white (not to be confused with ivory), magenta and blue marble. All pens are appointed with chrome trim, clip and cap band. The front section is black with the German-made, stainless steel nib attached. As with any of the Nemosine pens, a converter and (6) ink cartridges are included with the purchase of the pen. 



You may be looking at this picture and thinking, "wait a second, the Blue Marble is bigger than the other Singularity pens?" Your eyes do not deceive you. It looks bigger posted because of the thickness of the acrylic used to make the marbled barrel and cap. The thicker cap doesn't allow for as deep of a posting than the solid-color Singularities. This could also be the reason that the Blue Marble is just a tad bit more expensive than the other Singularity pens.


With the wide array of colors and nib sizes (Extra-fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, 0.6mm stub, 0.8mm stub), it is easy to see why Nemosine fountain pens can be addictive to the pen enthusiast. They are affordable enough to own several for different purposes and situations where you would find yourself needing a fountain pen. Example - keeping a Nemosine in your desk drawer at work, one at home and one on your person (briefcase, purse or pen case). Also, if you love fountain pen inks as much as I do, you may have one pen dedicated to a particular type of ink. When you feel in a blue mood, take out the aqua blue or the blueberry and write away in some Diamine Aqua Blue. The combinations and possibilities are endless!

8.07.2014

Coming Soon : Parker Debuts Pens Inspired by Vintage Vacumatic & Duofold Styles

To follow up on the teaser postcard that we are sending in our current shipments, Parker has shared their master plans for the fall debuts of new Duofold, Urban & IM models that are designed after vintage Parker styles.



Duofold : A Classic Redefined

The Duofold is gaining three new permanent extensions to the line that are inspired by the Parker Duofold of old : Big Red, Lapis Lazuli & Ivory. These acrylic resin styles are trimmed in gold plated appointments and are available in a twist-action ballpoint pen, capped rollerball and two sizes of fountain pen. The larger Centennial size and the International size are both filled by cartridge or cartridge/converter (included). The nib is a big, two-toned, 18kt solid gold beauty, fashioned with the Duofold Spade graphic.

The estimated price ranges on this set are $280 for the ballpen, $330 for the rollerball, $450 for the international sized fountain pen & $550 for the centennial. No doubt that the popularity of these vintage colors will come through for Parker in reintroducing a fan favorite in the Duofold.



Parker's Vacumatic for the 21st Century

The Parker Vacumatic stands as an emblematic style of the Parker Pen Company and is one of the most highly sought after vintage pens for collectors. This Fall, Parker debuts six new finishes in the IM & Urban lines inspired by the Vacumatic's alternating band design. While the Vacumatic was originally built with laminated plastic, these new pens are styled using aluminum to give a modern look to the design.

The IM & Urban lines are Parker's more approachable, entry-level category of pens. Each new finish will be offered in a ballpoint pen, rollerball or fountain pen. Please note that the fountain pens will be using a cartridge/converter filling system and will not have the Vacumatic filling system (that would make too much sense, right?). The fountain pens will be fitted with steel nibs in medium point size only. The price ranges from $37 for a ballpen to $75 for the fountain.

All pens will be on sale on our site the moment that they arrive. To receive an update on when they will hit the store, please sign up on our e-mail newsletter list so you can be first to know!

8.01.2014

Quincy Jones Cuts Ribbon at Grand Opening of Montegrappa Flagship Store in Italy


July 10th in Bassano del Grappa, Italy - the global headquarters for the Montegrappa company - the oldest and most celebrated Italian pen manufacturer cut the ribbon on their flagship store in grand fashion.


Montegrappa, primarily known for their writing instruments, has built their reputation upon the quality and artistry of their pens. Since Guiseppe Aquila had purchased the company back from the Richemont group several years ago, the brand has attained new heights in the luxury market, expanding their manufacturing repertoire to include cufflinks, fragrances, leather accessories, watches and licensed products in cooperations with such prominent icons like Muhammad Ali, DC Comics (Batman), Elvis, Frank Sinatra and so on. Their business had already expanded overseas to open boutiques in Dubai, Moscow, Doha & Riyadh. The opening of their flagship store in Bassano del Grappa was like a homecoming, proudly displaying how high the brand has risen internationally while keeping their roots steeped in Italian heritage.


Famed musician and muse of his own limited edition set of Montegrappa writing instruments, Quincy Jones participated in cutting the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the doors of the boutique. The guest of honor has his own section of the boutique dedicated to the pen that bears his name and ineffable style.



On the second floor of the ancient renovated palace, the first Bugatti and Bently fashion boutiques made a home for themselves and include pens & cufflinks made for Bugatti exclusively by Montegrappa.



The opening was a "Blue Carpet" event, attracting plenty of glitz and glam and providing cocktails and live music to party into the night. You can view all the professional press photographs here.

7.24.2014

J. Herbin Vert Olive - July/August's "Ink of the Month"

Sometimes, our expansive selection of fountain pen inks can get a bit out-of-hand with a particular color. Similar to our "Weekly Dip" special that features an item on our website that has been selected for an extra discount for a week, we are going to feature an "Ink of the Month" that will be available at an extra discount for a month or until the herd is thinned. For the last week of July and during the month of August, we will feature the J. Herbin Vert Olive as the Goldspot Ink of the Month.


Vert Olive has a lighter, khaki green color that has is lower in saturation and shows some shading. As you can see in the above olive doodle, you can build up the color of the Vert Olive after letting it dry, creating contrast for ink sketches and drawings. Each J. Herbin bottle also has a little shelf built into the design for your pen to rest on (see below).