As avid luxury pen collectors ourselves, we love to learn about the heritage and history of specific fountain pen brands. From Montblanc’s iconic German heritage to Montegrappa’s Italian background, there’s much to learn about how high-end fountain pen brands incorporate their tradition into their designs.
In honour of St Georges Day (23 April), we want to shine a spotlight on some of the incredible luxury writing instruments that are designed or manufactured in England.
Based in Norwich, Onoto creates exceptional luxury writing instruments. The brand regularly pays homage to its English heritage with its pen collection. Previous models have been designed to pay tribute to the likes of William Shakespeare as well as the iconic British Spitfire. Onoto are also the manufacturers of the Official British Museum Pens. These are designed and made for the brand by the Queen’s jeweller, Lord Foster.
It is believed that Onoto pens were used by Sir Winston Churchill during the Great War. In a letter sent to his wife Clementine, Churchill wrote “Send me also a new Onoto pen. I have stupidly lost mine.”
Although Parker may have originated as an American brand, there are long-term connotations with England. The UK management team bought the brand in 1986 and moved its headquarters to Newhaven in East Sussex, where it remained until 2007.
Many pen collectors believe Parker to be an English company due to its close associations with the Royal Family. In 1962, Parker pens received its first Royal Warrant and became the sole supplier of pens and inks to the Royal Households. The Royal Warrant was renewed in 1990 by HRH The Prince of Wales and is still in place today.
As part of its association with The Royal Family, Parker released a limited edition 105 to celebrate Prince Charles’ wedding to Princess Diana in 1981. In recent years, Parker has continued to release rare luxury fountain pens to commemorate key Royal celebrations including Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee as well as the Queen’s 90th Birthday.
The Paradigm range is the first-ever luxury fountain pen from izods and it’s something that we are incredibly proud of.
Although the pens themselves are handcrafted in Italy, we want to include them in this list because the design and history are located right here in England. We’ve used our knowledge and understanding of the luxury pen market to design and create something really special. From the vibrant, hand-polished ebonite barrel and cap to the 18k single-tone nib, we wanted our Paradigm range to combine modern style with timeless elegance.
Each pen is designed to offer an exceptional writing experience, and the reaction amongst luxury pen collectors shows that our fountain pens are an exceptional addition to any pen collection.
At izods, we work closely with pen collectors from around the world to help source rare, limited-edition, or collectible luxury writing instruments. If you’re looking to find a luxury fountain pen from Parker or Onoto to add to your collection, or you would like to find out more about our Paradigm range, then please contact us.
