Faber-Castell Pen of the Year 2012

Faber-Castell's Pen of the Year 2012 combines gold leaf and ancient wetland oak to create an extraordinary limited edition writing instrument. All of the metal fittings are 24-karat  gold plate, and a faceted citrine crowns the cap. The 18-karat bicolor gold nib of the piston-filled fountain pen is available in fine, medium and broad widths.

Wetland oak wood has a deep texture, due in part to the fact that it has been buried for many years in bogs and marshes. In the process of making the pen, gold leaf is carefully applied by hand to each wooden barrel using a squirrel-hair brush. Artist and painter Ernst D. Feldmann, who studied Venetian gilding techniques, is responsible for the unique gilding of the pen wherein layer upon layer of 24-karat gold leaf is applied. Embedded in resin, a unique pattern emerges. 

Each pen comes in a deep black wooden case with a certificate signed by Mr. Feldmann attesting to the 24-karat gold leaf, the 1,700-year-old wood and the limited edition of 1,500 pens. The pen is priced at under $5,000.