Shine Bright Like An S.T. Dupont Diamond Guilloche
Recently I was talking with a friend about how Game of Thrones seemed to completely disappear as a cultural phenomenon, almost overnight. For years it seemed to have a massive hold on the popular zeitgeist, launching careers and memes and just seemingly an unstoppable cultural force. Then one day, as though a shard of dragon glass had been plunged through its heart, it stopped suddenly and vanished. Yes, the final season and the finale disappointed many people, but there are countless stories with disappointing ends that still hold sway. I’m no GoT super fan, it’s not a personal concern of mine, but I just find it fascinating how quickly we all decided to set aside the continent of Westeros and move on with our lives.
When I first saw pictures online these S.T. Dupont Diamond Guilloche pens, however, I was immediately reminded of the trio of dragon eggs that showed up in the first season of GoT. The colors are different, of course, but the guilloche patterns are striking. I am grateful to Coles of London, the North American distributor of S.T. Dupont, for lending me these pens for review. Once I had these pens in hand, the magical feeling only grew, as the pens seem to glow in the light. The way that light refracts through the layers of colored urushi lacquer and off of the raised guilloche patterns underneath is a rare treat (check out my friend Vanessa's video review to get a peek at how the light plays off the pen as it moves.)
Another rare treat is the experience of writing with this nib. I am not the first reviewer to note that this pen is a joy to write with from the first time it hits the paper. My friend Eric is one of many who will corroborate that these nibs are a wonderful experience right out of the box. The pens is a cartridge/converter filler, which honestly does not bother me, even in this luxury range, because I view a converter as essentially a piston filler that you can replace parts on yourself without having to ship it out. Underneath the lacquer on the cap and barrel, the pen is made of metal, which gives a nice solid heft in the hand. As my friend Adam describes, the pen feels substantial, but without being heavy. I know many people are wary of metal sections, fearing that they can be a bit slippery, but the fluted metal section on these pens is great to grip. I can’t say enough how stunning these pens are, the Aquamarine with palladium furniture and the Ruby with gold vermeil furniture.
As you can see below, the finial of the pen features a script “D” under a clear material, signifying that this pen is part of S.T. Dupont’s Line D series of pens. the pens also feature a sword-shaped spring-loaded clip with a black lawyered shield, adding an add extra touch of class to the design. In addition to the fountain pens I also tried out a rollerball mode of this pen, and it wrote smoothly from the first time it hit paper as well. The Sapphire color, with palladium furniture, may have been my surprise favorite out of the three color options. Even though I tend to prefer red pens, something about this blue urushi lacquer felt like it was glowing in the light. When it’s safe for you to do so, I definitely recommend taking a look at this pen in person at a pen shop or pen show. Even if it is out of your budget, it is an effect worth seeing for yourself.
I mentioned budgets above, and that’s because these pens are quite pricey, with an MSRP of $995 for the fountain pen models and $875 for the rollerballs. Street price at an authorized S.T. Dupont retailer is generally going to be a little bit less than that, but even so, these aren’t an impulse purchase for most people. Still, for an urushi lacquered pen with a well-performing gold nib and intricate design work on the barrel, this is the price one would generally expect. In terms of value for your money, you’re getting premium materials, an amazing writing experience, and one of the most gorgeous pens I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Thank you to Coles of London, S.T. Dupot’s US distributor, for lending me these pens for review
