Caran d’Ache makes pens coated in rhodium, a metal that costs more than gold.
Caran d’Ache, a Swiss company known for its writing and art implements, has mastered many materials including ceramics, chain mail, even rubber. They continue to experiment, creating a writing instrument made from silicon and coating it in rhodium — a noble metal so rare that it costs more than gold.
The Varius Silas collection (composed of a fountain pen, a rollerball, a ballpoint, and a mechanical pencil) is a study in contrasts. Each writing implement is crafted from the second-most abundant element in earth and coating it with something far rarer. The result is valuable yet playful: light plays around the pen’s geometrical detailing, changing the shimmering colors from gray to blue. The fountain pen (PHP75,000) has an 18K nib available in three sizes: fine, medium and broad. It uses a piston filling system but also accepts dedicated Caran d’Ache ink cartridges. Each pen is a numbered. The Varius Silas collection is available online at store.carandache.com. National Bookstore plans on re-stocking the pen in the near future. — ZBC
