Pens of Note

Stipula Etruria

 

 

The Stipula, a fountain pen company is based in Florence, Italy. Later I had the pleasure of visiting the company and touring their workshop.

It was in September 2001 that I purchased my first Stipula fountain pen, the Etruria at Novelli Pens in Rome. Marco Parascenzo helped me view the various models and after trying a number of pens, my choice was the elegant Etruria in amber celluloid..

Made from Stipula's cellulose acetate. Each pen is hand-turned from a solid rod of celluloid. The oval shape of the pen creates a soft appearance and feel in the hand. The pen is very comfortable pen to hold. The body is a rich amber-brown tone and the light catches silver, gold and red undertones. The pen at the time was considered large, however, since that time Stipula has issued an even larger Etruria model, the Magnifica. The regular Etruria sits very well in my hand and an ease to write with. The sterling silver with gold cap band reminds me of my times in Tuscany as there is a Florentine-look to the gold cap band and the workmanship of the clip.

On the body section of the pen the name of the pen and its number is engraged. I have pen 2089. Not a limited edition, as with some of my other Etruria pens, but its production number.

The pen is piston-filled and holds a good amount of ink. I can go almost over an hour in a meeting with solid non-stop writing before I need to fill my pen. There are a a variety of nib styles and I was able to select an 18 kt gold 1.1 stub nib. Writing with this nib is a real treat for me.

The clip of the pen is a single flat piece of sterling silver, gold-plated. It has the Stipula design of wheat grass at the end of the clip - one of the iconic images of the company.

This quote from Renzo Salvadori, the President of Stipula, shows the company's passion to its country:

It was 1991. Sitting at the desk in my office, I raised my eyes for a moment to the window and let my gaze run over the surrounding countryside: slopes traversed by interminable rows of vines still weighed down by grapes, the studied geometry of the vineyards interrupted here and there by farmhouses and cypress trees. I experienced a profound sense of admiration and satisfaction with the land, which is also my land. I was struck by the idea of making a fountain pen that would pay homage to Tuscany in all its facets, beginning with the name: Etruria

Renzo Salvadori, President
Stipula

This pen remains one of my classics. The particular model, amber celluloid, is no longer in production by Stipula.

 

Stipula Etruria 991

My 2001 Christmas was exceptionally rewarding. Thanks to Todd and the staff at Seattles' World Pen, then Worldlux, and sadly now closed, for helping my wife buy for me the superb Stipula Etruria 991 fountain pen for an Christmas Gift. The good news is that Karen was so impressed at how easy it was to order the pen and for it to arrive the next day she says if she knew shopping was this easy.

The pen is stunning with its brown tones of celluloid, streaked with dark and light tones of brown and mother-of-pearl highlights. The large band at the base of the cap is sterling silver with a narrow ring of gold on each side. Todd was able to arrange to ship up a pen fitted with a broad, 18 kt gold nib. The pen is a very smooth-writer.

The Etruria 991 is a special edition of the Etruria, a fountain pen the company first commenced production in 1991.  The 991 was released in 2001 to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the company. There were 991 pieces of this pen created.

The pen is available in a variety of nibs, and the nib for this pen is the same as used on the Etruria, Iris or Duetto models. It is a smooth writer. Ink just flows from the pen. The Etruria 991 was inspired from the polychromatic art of the Etruscans. The soft, rounded lines are based on the typical shape of Etruscan amphora. The decorative work of finely tooled silver leaves made using the lost-wax casting process will bring memories of any trip to Tuscany!

The rounded oval end and top of the pen make it very comfortable to hold. Light catches the pearl highlights so the pen is an eye catcher without being one that you feel needs covering up in a business meeting.

The filling mechanism for the fountain pen is interesting. It has converter system that uses either Stipula's classic large-capacity piston filler or an ink cartridge - the small international size. Not being a cartridge fan I can't see using one, but I guess it is nice to know I could!

The pen is limited to 991 fountain pens and I am the proud owner of number 503.

 

Etruria Alter Ego

Part of the Etruria line. The Alter Ego is an interesting orange-toned celluloid. I bought by pen in 2009. It has the classic Etruria look include the wheat-grass gold and silver band on the cap, and the regular Eutruria clip with the traditional Stipula engraving.

Here is something very important: To fill the pen, you turn the top counter clockwise. To empty the pen you turn it clockwise. The pen has has what Stipula calls a Self Cleaning System (SCS). That means the mechanism cleans the reservoir every time it is filled. This is due to the spinning action of the piston head.

I have the pen with the 1.1 Stub nib. The two-toned 18kt gold, iridium-tipped nib is a very smooth writer.

The pen is made by a lathe-turned process of a solid rod of celluloid, The celluloid is a brown/orange tone with viewns of black and flecks of gold-toned mother of pearl. The pen is very attractive, and when light hits the celluloid, it is quite dramatic. I have found the Etruria body to be a good fit for my hand. When the cap is posted onto the pen it has a good 6.5" in length. When closed, it is 5.6 inches long.

The trim on the pen is classic Stipula: a sterling silver clip and cap band. . The pen has more weight than the Etruria Amber and I believe is in part due to the different piston mechanism in the pen. Also, Stipula departed from the practice of numbering the Etruria with this model. The body is engraved with the Stipula logo and "Made in Italy" statement.

 

Stipula Etruria Fiesole

On my September 2011 visit to Paris, I visited Mora Stylo and was asking Christine Regnault to show me some fountain pens with a broad nib. I find in Europe you have to specifically ask for a broader nib width as the most popular at the timte were Medium and Fine widths. She assembled a selection of pens to try. When I saw and wrote with the Stipula Etruria Fiesole the review process stopped.

The Fiesole, a limited edition pen, with 193 pens created. I am very pleased to have pen 124 of 193. I think this pen was a natural for me. I like the style of the Etruria. Fit to hand was well established. The length of the pen when capped is 5.6". The pen wisth is .6". The look of this pen is very attractive. The Fiesole is hand-turned with rich gold-brown celluloid with veins of rich blue tones. I immediately liked the look of this pen. The Fiosole has a 18 kt two tone gold nib and it provides a smooth writing experience. The trim (clip, rings) are hand-cast, solid sterling silver with the classic Florentine decoration. Together they give the pen what I consider a classic look.

The Fiesole, issued in 2008, is no longer available. The first 88 pens were produced with matching .7 mm mechanical pencils.

Writing with this pen is a very satisfying experience. The nib is a specialty nib, the cut is a 52 degree nib.

Stipula Etruria Alter Ego

Stipula Etruria Fiesole