At Pen Boutique, we receive new products almost continually, whether it's a brand-new pen model, a new color of an old favorite, a new kind of paper, new ink, or new accessory. Almost every day, there are boxes stacked inside our warehouse door for the shipping department to unpack and distribute to the warehouse shelves, store, and social media team, so we can share them with our customers. However, right after Christmas, there was a brief lull while our suppliers took a breath, and I found myself looking for a classic pen to create a video about, rather than promoting the latest new thing.
I took a walk in the store, and my attention was drawn to the Graf von Faber-Castell cabinet, the most elegant and serene display in the room. I hadn't focused on this classy luxury brand in a while. Although they do release new colors and occasionally surprise us with a new model, their stylish and graceful writing instruments have a timelessness that felt refreshing and calming after the busy holiday rush.
I decided to choose three pens from the Guilloche series and compare them in my video, with closeups highlighting the beauty of the intricate hand-engraved patterns on their barrels. I had always thought the Guilloche pens were nice, but in really focusing on them while preparing my video, I was astonished by how lovely and special each one was. Each barrel and trim color combination created a different mood, and the fine details on the caps and end finials captured my attention as they caught the light, moving in my hands. The precise, intricate, recurring patterns captivated me, as did their subtle and soft textures.
That night, as I finished editing the footage I had recorded earlier in the day, I found myself relaxing and smiling as I watched the filigree patterns twirl. Days later, I kept thinking about those three beautiful pens, debating which one I liked best, and remembering how nice they felt in my fingers. I guess I was hooked. Graf von Faber-Castell can do that to you when you least expect it. It's a subtle and beguiling brand, with charms that have been captivating writing instrument lovers since 1761.
A Noble History
I've already written about Faber-Castell in an earlier article, but just in case you haven't read that one, or need a review, it is a brand with a fascinating story. Faber-Castell is actually the oldest writing instrument manufacturer still in operation, and the company has had an extremely interesting history. They started small, in 1761, when Kaspar Faber began making the first Bleyweißstift lead pencils in his workshop in Ansbach, Germany. In its early days, the pencil business developed into A.W. Faber Company, and Lothar von Faber, Kaspar’s great grandson, set standard lengths, diameters, and grades of lead hardness that are still used today.
In 1870, two weeks after the first US trademark protection law came into effect, Eberhard Faber, head of the A.W. Faber branch in the USA, registered his trademark in the United States. It was the fifth trademark ever registered in the US! The four companies that registered first no longer exist, so A.W. Faber-Castell (now usually shortened to Faber-Castell) is officially the oldest brand name in this country.
As the company expanded and gained reputation, Lothar von Faber petitioned the Reichstag to institute trademark protections in Germany to combat counterfeit A.W. Faber products. Thanks to his efforts, the Act on Trade Mark Protection came into effect in Germany in 1875, and protections were expanded in the 1894 Act on the Protection of Trade Marks. Over time, the trademark was registered in Russia, England, Spain, France, and Italy, as well.
The company has remained in the Faber family for nine generations, and took on the name Faber-Castell in 1900, after the Faber heiress Freiin Ottilie "Tilly" von Faber married Alexander Graf zu Castell-Rüdenhausen, a count. ("Graf" is the German word for "count.") Her grandfather, Lothar, had stipulated in his will that the name Faber should remain in the company in perpetuity, so they changed their surname to Faber-Castell. Their new logo combined the Faber motto, "Since 1761," with the jousting knights from the Castells' coat-of-arms.
In 1928, Count Roland von Faber-Castell inherited the company, and, under his direction, Faber-Castell began manufacturing pens. They opened subsidiaries in France, Australia, Austria, Argentina and Peru during the 1960s. Today, Faber-Castell is still owned by Faber-Castell nobility, and the four siblings--Count Charles von Faber-Castell, Countess Katharina von Faber-Castell, Countess Victoria von Faber-Castell and Countess Sarah von Faber-Castell--represent the 9th generation of the family business.
[Pictured: Graf von Faber-Castell Classic in Ebony Wood.]
The elegant writing instruments in the luxurious Graf von Faber-Castell line exude refinement, fitting for a division named for a Count. They are handcrafted by skilled masters in Germany, and Faber-Castell describes them as embodying "a harmonious combination of elegant rare materials, beautiful design, and a high degree of functionality." I love this succinct and accurate summary! In my first article, I focused on the wood writing instruments from the Classic Collection, the whole Classic Collection Anello line, and the Perfect Pencil. This time, I'll be exploring the delicate beauty of the Guilloché collection.
Gorgeous Guilloché
First of all, you may be wondering: what is Guilloche? It certainly wasn't a term I was familiar with before I started working at Pen Boutique. Guilloche is pronounced "gee-oh-shay," with a hard g like the word "golf," and it has a few different meanings. In its narrowest sense, it describes an ornamental technique in which an intricate and repetitive pattern is mechanically engraved into an underlying material with an engine turning machine, which geometrically applies a single-point cutting tool to produce a decorative surface finish pattern.
However, guilloché (usually with the e-acute accent) can also describe any patterns that consist of intertwined, parallel, or overlapping lines, even if they are not engraved into a material. You can find these interwoven or interlocked -looking guilloché patterns printed on currency, passports, and certificates to help protect against forged copies. They also can appear in architectural or furniture design on stone or wood, on decorative glass, or on other materials. If you ever had a Spirograph toy, you can picture how flat-surface guilloché patterns are made.
The original engine-turned style guilloche work is traditionally engraved onto metal, especially sterling silver, and you'll find it on fine timepieces, writing instruments, jewelry, vintage perfume bottles and other accessories, and the famous Fabergé eggs. The end result is harmonious and lovely. The surface of a guilloche-engraved writing instrument is often finished with lacquer, or, in the case of David Oscarson's pens, hot enamel. You can see beautiful guilloche work in writing instruments from a number of different companies, including S.T. Dupont, Montblanc, Otto Hutt and Waldmann. Graf von Faber-Castell's own Bentley collection also features very handsome lacquered metal guilloche.
The Graf von Faber-Castell Guilloche collection that I'm focusing on in this article has a very different feel from the glossy lacquered and enamelled guilloche on pens such as the Graf von Faber-Castell Bentley, Montblanc Blue Hour and Golden Hour, Waldmann Tango Imagination, ST Dupont Line D Guilloche, and David Oscarson's pieces. Instead of being engraved into metal, the traditional guilloche patterns in this collection are created with precious resin, an incredibly strong high quality plexiglas type material that is scratch and stain resistant. They are then hand lacquered and repeatedly hand-polished to achieve a special optical effect and lightly textured surface. No two are identical: each is an individual example of the craftsman's art.
When I first handled the Graf von Faber-Castell guilloche writing instruments, I was very surprised and intrigued by the barrels, and wasn't sure what they were made from. The woven texture and matte finish featured on most of the models combines to almost feel like cloth or handmade paper. Although the surface is hard and durable, it feels soft to the fingertips.
[Pictured: Guilloche writing instruments in Cognac, Champagne Blush, Sage Green, and Rose Blush.]
While the precious resin barrels are fairly lightweight on their own, the metal grip sections, end finals, and caps give each pen or pencil a substantial and lovely weight and balance. They have a luxurious and premium feel, and thoughtful design details that set them apart from their mid-tier counterparts such as the Faber-Castell Ambition, which is also available with some guilloche barrels. Like other Graf von Faber-Castell models, the Guilloche collection's striking highly-polished flared caps feature a special spring-loaded clip, which is engineered to stay in place but respond with a quick-release so that it won't tear fabric.
The top finials' finely fluted edges are echoed in the fountain pens' and rollerballs' end finials, a detail that I had never noticed while glancing at the pens through the glass door of our store's display case. Likewise, the caps' top surface is a lightly concave curve that matches the curve of the fingertip used to push them on, while the end finials bring balance with a softly convex curve. This gently domed end gives the pens a much more beautiful shape than a flat end would, with more dimension to its reflective surface. The juxtaposition of the rounded smoothness and ridged edge also just feels satisfying and pleasant to touch.
While most of the pens in the Guilloche lineup have precious resin barrels, the Barley Rhodium model features a barrel made of rhodium-plated metal to match its rhodium-plated nib and trim. Its shiny surface has a very different feel than that of the other pens. While you can still discern the texture of the finely engraved lines, they are less prominent. The metal surface is noticeably smoother and cooler to the touch, and its fine-grained barley pattern of overlapping ovals continuously glitters as the light catches it as it moves in your hand.
The barley grain (Grain d'Orge) guilloche pattern is a traditional one known for its dynamic, light-reflecting properties, and this pen is indeed a beauty. The shiny rhodium plating will never tarnish or patina, and is extremely resistant to corrosion.
The majority of the writing instruments in the Guilloche line feature an undulating pattern of parallel lines that resemble a fine mesh, but there are a few other designs as well. The Ciselé models (meaning "chiseled" or "cut," and pronounced "see-zuh-ley") have a sophisticated and stylish herringbone pattern. There also used to be a chevron pattern series, although it has been retired.
[Pictured: Ciselé fountain pen in Anthracite, the color of hard coal.]
[Pictured, front to back: Ciselé Anthracite, Barley Rhodium, and Black pens with rhodium trim.]
Although most writing instruments in the Guilloche collection have rhodium-plated metal parts, the Black Edition and Sage Green pens' nibs and trim are ruthenium-plated, while the Champagne Blush and Rose Blush have rose gold-plated accents. The chosen color palettes give each one a distinct personality, from the slightly mysterious Sage Green, to the romantic Rose Blush, to the sleek and cool Black Edition.
[Pictured: Ciselé Anthracite at top, with Sage Green, Rose Blush, Champagne Blush, Barley Rhodium, Black, and Black Edition pens from left to right.]
Although they are more costly because they feature rose gold, the Champagne Blush and Rose Blush pens are particularly lovely, and I was especially attracted to these two when I was creating my video. I suppose I must have expensive taste!
Like other Graf von Faber-Castell and Faber-Castell models, the fountain pens are filled by standard international cartridge or converter, and Graf von Faber-Castell makes beautiful nature-inspired inks, although, of course, you can choose any brand of ink. Some of the pen colors, such as Cognac Brown, have corresponding ink colors, a lovely touch! The bottled inks come in elegant premium glass bottles, and Graf von Faber-Castell says most colors are "indelible, smudge resistant, reproducible, light-fast and waterproof." I haven't personally tested this.
[Pictured: disassembled Guilloche Cognac fountain pen with Deep Sea Green ink bottle.
Writing Experiments
Before experimenting more extensively with the fountain pens, I decided to try each writing instrument in the Guilloche lineup: mechanical pencil (which Graf von Faber-Castell calls a "propelling pencil"), ballpoint, rollerball, and fountain pen. All four writing instruments are a pleasure to use. The line widths of the pencil, ballpoint, and rollerball are similar to that of the Fine fountain pen nib.
True to Faber-Castell's fame as a pencil company, the pencil is a very nice writer, with smooth, firm, and strong, break-resistant 0.7 mm B hardness lead. The pencil has a reservoir for spare leads, and a detachable friction-fit end cap with a replaceable white non-smudge eraser hidden underneath.
I held the pencil back a little further than the other writing instruments, and enjoyed the feeling of the guilloche barrel between my finger and thumb. The traction of the design is very nice to grip onto, and I love that the barrel has a warmth and softness that almost feels like cloth. I also love the weight and balance of the pencil in my hand. It is 138 mm long, with a 9 mm diameter, and weighs 25 grams.
[Pictured: Guilloche Cognac mechanical pencil in my hand.]
The ballpoint is a similar shape and size, but slightly shorter and heavier with its metal tube refill, with a 132 mm length, 9 mm diameter, and 32 gram weight. The Faber-Castell refill included in the pen is a black, large capacity document-proof one, in international standard size.
The rollerball and fountain pen are longer and a littler thicker, but still slim and elegant. The writing instruments' specs can vary slightly depending on material, but, in general, the fountain pen is 131 mm long, with a 12 mm diameter, and 29 gram weight, and the rollerball has the same dimensions but is one gram lighter.
[Pictured, top to bottom: ballpoint, mechanical pencil, rollerball, and fountain pen.]
Like all Graf von Faber-Castell nibs, the Guilloche Collection fountain pen's nibs are elegant and smooth. They are beautiful handmade 18 karat gold nibs with iridium tips, featuring the Graf von Faber-Castell's coat of arms emblem. Although most are completely rhodium-plated, the Black Edition and Sage Green pens' nibs are ruthenium-plated, while the Champagne Blush and Rose Blush nibs are rose gold-plated. Each nib is "run in by hand," which means they are individually tested and tuned before leaving the factory.
[Pictured: Black Edition, Sage Green, Ciselé Anthracite, and Champagne Blush Guilloche fountain pens with ruthenium-plated, rhodium-plated, and rose gold-plated 18 karat gold nibs.]
I tested one of each nib size (pictured above), and was a little surprised to find that, while they all felt very nice to write with, the Extra Fine and Fine nibs had extremely similar line widths in my hand, as did the Medium and Broad nibs. I honestly had trouble telling them apart! Here is my writing sample, on Midori paper with Graf von Faber-Castell Carbon Black ink. I used this ink for all the writing tests in this article.
As a sanity check, I asked my mother to try writing with the four pens as well, and she agreed that the differences are very small. She has a lighter hand than mine, so, when she wrote with it, the Extra Fine line width did look slightly thinner, but it is subtle. According to her, the Extra Fine nib felt a little "scratchy" (more feedback), while the Fine felt "perfect." She also loved the looks of the writing produced by the Fine nib.
[Above: my mom's cursive writing tests, with my notes to the right.]
Mom thought the Medium nib felt extremely smooth, but said the line width was too thick for her. She also agreed with me that the Medium and Broad nibs' writing looks pretty much identical, and, like me, she had a little more trouble writing with the ruthenium-plated Broad nib. It seemed to have a less generous sweet spot than the others and didn't flow as easily.
When I really concentrated on my writing, I observed that the Extra Fine nib felt a little more precise and I could feel the paper more. However, for me, both nibs felt smooth, precise, and had just enough feedback to make me feel in control. I liked both, but I've had a lot more exposure to writing with finer nib sizes than she has.
The Fine line width is slightly thicker than the Extra Fine when I write with intention, but when I grab both pens and write quickly, I can't tell which is which. (I think I use a little more pressure when I do this, so my writing has less finesse.)
For me, the Medium nib is very smooth, but with a little bit of a "chalky" feeling that helps me stay in touch with the paper. I've experienced this "chalky" feeling when writing with Pelikan, Otto Hutt, and Waldmann pens as well, and I really like it and find it pleasurable. It keeps a very smooth and wet nib from skating over the page. My writing produced by the Broad nib looks almost identical, but I prefer the Medium nib. When I mentioned the similarity of the nib sizes to one of my colleagues in the store, she wasn't surprised, and said she has experienced this with other German brands, as well.
As the nibs are 18 Karat gold, they have a slight softness and can produce a little bit of line variation when given pressure on the downstroke, but they are fairly firm and on the smaller size (#5), so you won't be getting constant bounce.
As I used the pens, I found myself really appreciating the soft, slightly textured feel of the barrels and the visual joy that the repeating Guilloche patterns brought me as I looked down at them in my hands while writing. I only own one pen with a guilloche design myself, but it is a favorite, and using it always relaxes and focuses my mind. There is definitely something special about guilloche, and now I will be paying extra-close attention to guilloche work in other brands, as well! I hope you enjoyed learning about these beautiful writing instruments along with me. Maybe the softly repeating patterns of guilloche will bring peace and order to your thoughts, too.
-Laura P.
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