Pink! The idea for this blog series came to me in a flash when I was lying in bed, and I hoped I'd remember everything in the morning. I usually think a lot more creatively at night, and, as my mind wandered through various musings on the color pink, the more inspired I got. If you don't like pink, please don't stop reading. When I was younger, I hated pink. I was a tomboy, and I wouldn't be caught dead with anything pink. It wasn't until much later that my thinking became more nuanced, less black and white. I began to understand that there are a lot of different shades of pink, and they aren't necessarily "girly."
My original concept was to write about our bold new store exclusive fountain pen, the Delta DV Original Rosa, and also to explore my experiences with pink ink. Due to time issues that came up this week, I wasn't able to fit both topics into one article, so this week we'll focus on the pen, and next week will be ink. That's a lot of pink, but pink is a complex color, both visually and psychologically. Enjoy Part One, and I'll see you next week!
Leena's Passion For a Cause
When I started working at Pen Boutique in November, 2021, I noticed that our store owner, Leena, wears a lot of pink and owns a huge collection of pink pens. In fact, pink seems to be her signature color. It wasn't until a little later that it sunk in for me why Leena loves pink so much. The color looks beautiful on her, but it's not just that. Leena is a breast cancer survivor and is extremely involved as a board member in our local chapter of the American Breast Cancer Foundation (ABCF). Pink ribbons, and the color pink in general, are an international symbol of breast cancer awareness, and express moral support for people with breast cancer. Leena benefited from early detection, and is a strong advocate of initiatives to expand access to breast cancer testing services.
When October comes around, Leena doesn't associate the month with orange and black, like I always did. She thinks pink. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and Leena donates 50% of the proceeds from our store exclusive "I Am A Survivor" Parker Jotter to the American Breast Cancer Foundation. She encourages store staff to wear pink in October, and our whole team dresses in pink to present our check to a representative from the local chapter. It's a little challenging for some of us to find pink in our wardrobes, but we make the effort because we want to show our support for Leena and for such an important cause.
This year, Leena wanted to do something extra. We have recently begun carrying more Delta pens, and were offered the opportunity to create a store exclusive with Delta. We've had other nice store exclusive pens, like our exciting collaboration with Leonardo, the beautiful Sailor Bora Bora Waters Professional Gear with matching Robert Oster ink, autumnal favorite Venetian Lagoon Montegrappa Venetia, and Retro 51 Tornado "Apollo-Soyuz Project," but Leena decided she wanted our Delta DV Original to be PINK, to really represent her and something she is passionate about.
Leena showed us a series of photos of different prototypes for the pen, and asked us to vote on our favorites. We all loved the warm, bright pink variations with black accents, and Leena decided to have two different versions made, with 30 of each. Both have the same beautiful deep pink opalescent barrel, shiny solid sterling silver trim with rhodium plating and glossy black end finials, but the Rosa version has a two-tone pink and black cap, and the Rosa Doué has an all-black cap to contrast more sharply with the pink barrel. They have very different personalities, but I love both looks!
The pens are handmade in Naples, Italy, and their large boxes include an ABCF ribbon-themed slipcover with the motto, "A passion for a great cause...." Inside the velvety-lined box, the pen is accompanied by its converter (installed in the pen), a warranty booklet with the pen's individual number written by hand in Italy, and a bottle of black Delta ink. Leena wanted to offer something extra, so she is also including a free bottle of Monteverde Rose Pink as a gift with the pen. She loves to use pink ink, so she wanted people to be able to team up their new Delta Rosa with matching ink right away!
Each pen also has its number imprinted on the cap, along with the name of the pen. This only shows up when the light hits your cap just right, and it's quite classy looking!
The pen has a ruzzolino clip, aka wheely clip, a style that always feels very Italian to me. I love the look of ruzzolino clips. (In case you're wondering, "ruzzolino" means "tumbling.") The shiny silver band has a vintage look, with a design and proportions that remind me of an ornamental finger ring. It's subtle, but gives the pen a slightly opulent touch to offset the muscularity of the rest of the design. Overall, the color, shape, and trim project a look of calm strength and confidence.
I tried a Rosa Doué with a fine nib, and was impressed with the firm but very smooth feel. My cursive isn't very good, but I enjoyed the precision and the way the black Delta ink flowed with the pen. Plus, it looks cool when the ink settles into the Delta logo embossed on the nib! This is a tried and true JoWo #6 steel nib. The pen takes standard international cartridges if you prefer the convenience of a cartridge on the go.
The Delta DV Original, which arose from Delta's Dolce Vita design, is a fairly stocky mid-size pen, with a little bit of weight to it (34g), but it's not heavy. It can be posted, but I much prefer it with the cap set to the side. The grip section has a wider diameter than any pen I own (12.4mm), and feels large in my hand, but it's still a comfortable size and length. If you have particularly small hands, this pen would feel a little oversized, but many of my customers find a larger grip section more comfortable because it relaxes their hand more. Here's how the pen looks when I hold it. (The paper is our gorgeous new Variopinta design Italian writing set from Kartos! Variopinta means "colorful." I love it.)
Pink Ink Pairing?
If I were to pair the Delta DV Original Rosa with a pink ink, I think I'd want to try the new Jacques Herbin 1670 Anniversary ink, Fuchsia de Magellan. We received this ink in the store a few days ago, and, when Shriya swatched it, we immediately fell in love with the vibrant color that is very similar to the shade of this pen. It's a shimmer ink with heart, that twinkles with a warm gold when the light catches it. The shimmer particles aren't distracting, and don't overpower the true color, but enhance it with a lovely radiance that makes your writing feel warm and special.
With a finer nib, or in a situation where I didn't want a shimmer ink, I'd choose Sailor Ink Studio 731. It's a strong, bold hot pink that exudes confidence and positivity. I love the shading, and the bright gold sheen!
Thematically, I'd also go for Diamine Hope Pink, and, in fact, when store manager Leila and I were making a video about the new pen for social media, I kept messing up our takes by calling the accompanying ink Hope Pink instead of Rose Pink. Poor Leila! Hope Pink is a slightly softer hot pink, with lovely shading. Leila tells me that this is one of her favorite pinks, and she keeps it in her Caran D'Ache 849.
Our feature on Delta Rosa was the first time we made a video in our new media room, where we will be hosting our new YouTube show, so it was the debut of our set. We felt like it was an important enough event to use our set, even though the show itself still isn't quite ready to release. Since I recorded it on my iPhone instead of the camera we'll be using for the show, we didn't turn on studio lighting, and we moved the tripod in close for the vertical video orientation used in Instagram. I love how intimate the video looks with us sitting almost shoulder to shoulder, and you can tell by our expressions how fond we are of each other.
Leena had asked us to wear pink for the video, and I rose to the occasion with a brand new pink shirt that had arrived in the mail the day before. I hadn't realized when I ordered it, but it is almost the exact same color as the pens. I was a little tentative about wearing something so pink, and every time I looked in the mirror I was surprised. Was that really me? At first I wasn't sure how I felt about it. But on the way home from work I stopped at the grocery store to get a few things, and, as I was picking up my bag, the cashier blurted out, "By the way, I love the color of your shirt!" Yes, Laura, it's okay to like pink. Just embrace it.
"I want YOU to try pink!" Next week will be an in-depth look at a wide variety of pink inks. If you think you don't like pink, it may surprise you!
-Laura P.
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