(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)
When I went to France last March, one of my objectives was to visit the Mora Stylos shop in Paris. Unfortunately, the only day we were near the shop was a Sunday, and they were closed. I would have loved to buy a pen directly from Monsieur Mora, but it was not to be.
So, this fall, I began shopping for a pen on the Mora Stylos website. I decided on a beautiful celluloid called Bleu Automne in the Art Deco Oldwin style. The only nib choices were fine and medium. I chose a fine nib.
The pen took a little over a week to arrive from Paris. A letter from Monsieur Mora was enclosed and the pen was in a simple black hinged box.
Talk about “oh la la!” I audibly gasped when I opened the box. Inside was an enormous pen in the most gorgeous celluloid I’ve ever seen. Bleu Automne is a combination of deep blue with golden and white swirls. The gold swirls sparkle in the sun. It is simply stunning.
The pen is large at 150mm capped and 135mm uncapped.
It’s really too large to post, though I suppose one could. Even though the pen is big, it isn’t heavy because the celluloid is light material. That said, the celluloid feels much more substantive than acrylic, and it warms to the hand.
The body details on this pen are exquisite. The cap and the bottom of the barrel are each encircled with a thin gold band. Then there are graduated steps leading to the slightly rounded finial and barrel bottom.
The bronze-plated clip inserts directly into the cap (there’s no clip ring). It’s a simple, rectangular clip inscribed with “Oldwin.”
The pen is a cartridge/converter and comes equipped with a Waterman converter. It holds a decent amount of ink.
The 18k nib on this pen is gigantic (German size 7) and glorious. It is decorated simply with the words “Oldwin” and “Paris” along with the gold content near the base.
Measured in millimeters
This shiny piece of solid gold sits atop an enormous feed.
The pen writes smoothly with a tiny bit of feedback. It has a softness to it, but it certainly doesn’t flex, and I wouldn’t call it “springy.” It’s a very responsive nib and is a delight to write with.
When I first received the pen, I discovered four parallel scratches on the nib. I’m still not sure what caused them, though I suspect they came from the clip screw inside the cap.
I notified Monsieur Mora about the problem, and he accepted the pen back for repair. He replaced the nib and fixed whatever caused the scratches. He shipped the pen back to me free of charge and even reimbursed me for the postage I paid to send him the pen. I call that excellent customer service.
The pen is now perfect and, I have to say, it is one of the most beautiful pens I own. Of course, handmade pens like this come at a price. My pen cost over $500, but I am very happy with my purchase.
If you ever visit Paris, I encourage you to visit Mora Stylos at 7 Rue de Tournon. It’s not too far from Shakespeare and Company.
Otherwise, you can view pens for sale on the Mora Stylos website. Just be careful! You’ll want to buy them all. Ils sont magnifiques!
Pros
- The Oldwin is a hand-crafted, gorgeous oversized pen from Paris.
- Bleu Automne celluloid is unique and incredibly beautiful.
- The pen is well balanced even though it large.
- The solid 18k gold nib is enormous and beautiful in its simplicity. It is a smooth, responsive nib.
- Mora Stylos offers excellent customer service.
Cons
- The pen is a cartridge/converter. For this size of a pen, it would be nice to have a piston or eyedropper option.
- Mora Stylos pens are quite expensive, as you would expect.
- Because the shop is in Paris, if you need repairs, you have to send it there. That is time consuming, but André Mora stands behind his product.
I purchased this pen from Mora Stylos with my own funds.
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