The history of pens dates back to 4,000 BC, when people used crude instruments for writing -- consisting of hollow straws or reeds that carried some liquid, says penscollection.com. In 500 BC, people began to make pens from the wing feathers of such birds as geese and swans.
The shaft of the feathers was hardened and the tip was shaped and slit to make writing easy. These feather pens were known as quill pens, and they were widely used until the development of steel-nib pens in the 1800s.
By the late 1800s, inventors had perfected an early version of the fountain pen. This pen represented a major improvement over previous pens, because it featured an ink reservoir and a capillary feed. After several modifications, pens attained the current form. Companies across the world started experimenting further to come up with some really pricey ones.
To know about world's 10 most expensive pens, read on...
A joint creation between Mont blanc and Van Cleef & Arpels, this is the most expensive writing pen ever created. It costs $730,000!
Each pen has 840 diamonds and more than 20 carats of gemstones set in a Van Cleef & Arpels patented 'Mystery Setting' that conceals the stone settings. There are three variations of the pen, set either with rubies, sapphires or emeralds, and accented by diamonds. Artisans took over 18 months to create this pen.
It was made by the Swiss company Caran d'Ache in 1999 as homage to architect Antonio Gaudi. The fountain pen was sold in Harrods, London, for $265,000.
La Modernista Diamonds is made of rhodium-coated solid silver components.
It boasts of an 18-carat rhodium-coated gold nib and is set with a total of 5,072 Wesselton diamonds weighing in at 20-carats, as well as and 96 rubies totalling 32-carats.
The pen was hand-made by master jeweler Robert Perron and it took him six months to complete this true masterpiece of writing instruments.
3. Ripple HRH Limited Edition Visconti fountain pen
Made of 18K white gold and diamonds and with two-tone 18K gold nib, it costs $57,000. It has double reservoir filling system and is sold in two variations -- white gold and black. Another distinguished Visconti pen is the Forbidden City HRH Limited Edition fountain pen.
Made of black resin, 18K gold and diamonds and boasting of Power Filler innovative filling system invented by Visconti, it is sold for $42,200.
These pens are sold for a price of $22,000 to $24,000. They are 18K gold Victorian royalty executive custom made collectors pens. The nib of Grayson Tighe fountain pens is custom hand-made in Germany with 18K yellow gold. It's engraved with a specially designed Acanthus leaf, tipped with iridium, and two toned with rhodium. Grayson Tighe rollerball pens have an advanced refill that has a 1 Year cap-off time.
These pens are sold for $16,500. The Corinthian style votive monument erected by Lysicrates is recreated on the cap and the Laocoon sculpture dominates the barrel. The clip of the pen is one of the columns of the votive monument.The cap has a pure diamond set on the end of it.
6. David Oscarson Pens
Of these lot, the Pierrot White Fountain Pen is the most expensive costing about $4,900. Through Pierrot White Fountain Pen, David Oscarson has introduced a unique collection representing the old world craftsmanship in an attractive range of designer pens. In fact, David Oscarson is the first pen making company to integrate five colours of hard enamel and three levels of guilloche on each fountain pen, which is finished in rhodium vermeil with natural backgrounds.
7. La Dona Menagerie Fountain Pen
Handcrafted by Cartier, these pens belong to the most exquisite designer range of writing instruments priced at about $4,000. Cartier La Dona Menagerie is named after the 1940's, cine star Maria Felix, who was also known as 'La Do�a- the Mexican Marilyn Monroe.' It was on her request, the luxury jewellery designer Cartier customised a crocodile necklace in gold. This necklace inspired Cartier to design and develop 888 individually numbered fine pieces of La Dona pens, the second offering in the Menagerie Collection. Made of expensive materials, such as gold, Cartier pen has a gold-plated nib, which is carved with a crocodile head.
8. Fifth Avenue rollerball and fountain pens
Each of the 1,929 luxurious New York Fifth Avenue rollerball and fountain pens hand-made by S T Dupont required about 160 hours of supervision.
Result was taupe- and brunette-coloured lacquer fountain pens worth $2,400. These pens are embellished with a gold and silver relief overlay, which features a central globe design.
The core feature of the Graf von Faber-Castell Custom Pens is wood in different variations. In Pen of the Year 2008, the outer layer of the barrel is made of Indian satinwood.
No fewer than 84 Satinwood rectangles are hand-cut for the filigree herringbone pattern.
The pen is crowned by a chessboard-facted citrine gemstone, platinised fittings and an 18-carat bicolour gold nib, carefully run in by hand.
It comes in a wooden case with a brochure and a certificate for the pen collector.
Priced at $1,800, British pen company Conway Stewart has released the latest version of this popular pen this time in teal enamel. The pen takes its design cues from the palace of Westminster with its Gothic style engraving on the cap and barrel. The small diamond-shaped recesses mimic the detail on the palace and the tiny oak leaves are a symbol of England.
The pen is available in an edition of 100 fountain pen or rollerball writing modes.
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