Montegrappa's UAE National Day Pen

The star-studded Chequered Flag Ball returned to Abu Dhabi on November 11, as celebrity guests and members of Abu Dhabi society kicked off a weekend of glitz, glamour and Formula 1. Hosted by British TV personality Kirsty Gallacher, the elegant black-tie ball, now in its third year, took place at the St. Regis Hotel Saadiyat Island Resort. British soul singer Mica Paris and former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan also took to the stage as headline acts for the glittering evening of  entertainment. Montegrappa was this year's Platinum Sponsor, and the evening was attended by the Montegrappa Middle East team, Montegrappa CEO, Giuseppe Aquila, who flew in specially for the occasion, and Abdullah Al Sayegh, from Al Sayegh Jewellery, Montegrappa's retail partner for Abu Dhabi. Although the event took place on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 2011, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had a more illustrious date, the second of December 2011, when the country celebrated its fortieth Anniversary since unification of the seven Emirates in 1971. This special occasion was marked by the first public unveiling of Montegrappa's UAE National Day pen, a Limited Edition pen celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the unification of the UAE. One of the Limited Edition National Day pens, appropriately, number 1111 (out of 1971), was sold at auction over the course of the evening with funds raised being given to the Christina Noble Children's Foundation, an international charity organization dedicated to serving underprivileged children in Asia. The pen raised 8,500 Dirhams (equivalent to about $2,500) for this cause, and the pen was taken home by the winning bidder.