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Celebrating three years in publication. Thank you for visiting often!
Italy-based Montegrappa is celebrating its 100th anniversary in a big way. And since it coincided with the Year of the Dragon, they pulled out all the stops to created a truly outrageously beautiful collection of dragon pens, the complete set of which will only set you back $1.5 million.
The Centennial Dragon series comprises these limited edition pens:
-33 fountain pens in rose gold with black and white diamonds, numbered 1/100 to 33/100
-33 fountain pens in yellow gold with emeralds and white diamonds, numbered 34/100 to 66/100
-33 fountain pens in white gold with blue sapphires and white diamonds, numbered from 67/100 to 99/100.
The pen numbered 100/100 is a special one-of-a-kind piece (pictured) priced at $850,000. This Ultimate Centennial Dragon, as it is called, is crafted from 18-karat solid gold and features baguette-cut diamonds totaling 20.70 carats and brilliant-cut diamonds totaling over 3.5 carats, as well as colored diamonds totaling 14.0 carats. You'll also find some rubies and pearls if you look not too closely. The other versions range in price from $210,000 to $220,000.
These works of art are an apt celebration of a company that has stood the test of time, though not without challenges. I wish it at least another 100 years.
Montegrappa and Warner Bros. Consumer Products have recently announced their partnership under a licensing agreement, allowing Montegrappa to develop new collections inspired by DC Comics characters, beginning with Batman.
THE BATMAN PENS
Appropriately, there will be 1939 Batman fountain pens and 1939 Batman rollerballs, the number signifying the year of his first introduction. All of the pens’ components are made of aluminum with a black anodized finish--except for the clip, which is fashioned from ruthenium-plated brass. These materials give the pens a dark gray hue evoking the color of Batman's original costume, and the pens’ surfaces are engraved with bats in flight. The fountain pen has an 18-karat gold nib bearing the Batman logo. In addition to the pens being offered for individual sale, there will be 500 sets that also include cufflinks and a wristwatch. These are exclusive to the box sets. The cufflinks are jet-black representations of the Batmanlogo in three dimensions, with the bat-shape cutout exposing a carbon fiber surface.
Based on the Montegrappa NeroUno watches, the matching wristwatch is powered by a Swiss-made Ronda quartz movement, housed in a 42mm stainless steel case finished in black PVD, with six screws securing the back. As befits a model in the Cult Collection, the packaging for the Batman editions bear bats-in-flight patterns, the inner box featuring a large Batman logo on its lid, while the inner lid shows Gotham City at night.
The symbol of the heart is perhaps the most universally recognized symbol of love. And in honor of St. Valentine's Day 2012, Montegrappa is introducing the limited edition Cuore, which is Italian for "heart." This petite ballpoint pen is crafted from pearly pink acrylic and features three Swarovski crystals at the top of the clip. The metal trim is sterling silver. Just 100 pieces have been produced, and each comes in a transparent box with a pink cushion on which the pen rests.
