Mont Blanc Boheme
The Boheme was the first new Mont Blanc pen collection released since 1924. This new collection celebrates the traditional art of writing with functional beauty and European craftsmanship. The Boheme is designed with a flat top and modern day design elements including a variety of synthetic coloured gemstones on the clip. The Boheme is clearly a Mont Blanc pen with the trademark white star on the cap and the Mont Blanc hallmark of triple gold bands.
When I write by hand, I use a Mont Blanc Bohème cartridge fountain pen whose retractable 14 K gold nib has platinum inlay; the barrel and cap are made of black precious resin inlaid with the Mont Blanc white star, gold-plated rings, and a clip set with a ruby gem stone. The Bohème proves a fine tool for a writer, and she forces me to mind whatever I write; my hand-written words must equal her elegance because if I should ever write prose that does not rival the Bohème’s richness, well, then I am just not worthy.
Mont Blanc Boheme is a great, small pen with a retractable nib. It’s solid, and a good writer. The modern MBs I’ve dealt with have been much better writers than most other modern fountain pens I’ve used, including Namiki.
Top 10 Reasons to own a Montblanc pen (including a ballpoint one)
Reason 1: To write
This is one of the most evident yet usual answers that many frequent pen users give. Isn’t that natural that a pen is something that’s being used for writing down ideas or signing documents? Writing is a way of expressing one’s thoughts in detail and what better ways to do that than with a good pen on quality paper?
In this modern day and age, we are open to a wide selection of pens that are easily available at the nearest pen shop or a mouse click away. Some pens are practical for use such as the Cross Vice Pen collection, pens that are functional to use with many purposes on them like the Pelikan and Omas multi-pen collections, and pens that are designed to impress, like owing a Montblanc Starwalker collection with its signature Montblanc floating star crown.
Even though there are many ordinary stationary pens like Pilot and BIC (disposable), nothing beats the ownership of a good fountain pen, or roller ball pen or a simple perfect mechanical pencil, the luxury of writing gives one the perfect reason to own a nice pen. What better reason than this – the reason to write, not to just own and enjoy looking at a pen.
Reason 2: To give
‘My mom presented me with a Parker pen when I was 17 and it’s been with me for the past 15 years! I love this Parker 51 in sterling silver and I remember very well that it was a gift for my graduation with ‘A’ grades.’ This is typical to hear from college graduates.
Giving and owning a pen has its practical and highly sentimental value as you probably know. A pen is something that consists a heirloom if it’s of high value and lots of emotions are connected to it. Giving a pen adds value to the friendship or relationship between the giver and the receiver, as every time the receiver uncaps the pen, be it consciously or subconsciously, the thought of the giver would automatically come to mind to caress it with the reminiscent.
Some of the most traditional pens that are offered as gifts these days are of course the Montblanc pens, followed by Waterman, Parker and Lamy pens. They are expensive enough to be treasured even by yuppies-to-be. Occasions that pens are given away are mostly Teachers’ day, Graduation day, Valentine’s Day, and certainly over the Christmas seasons and many more.
Corporate companies also enjoy giving pens as their gifts because of the possibilities and variety of ways to create customization on the pens and increase the loyal spirit of the employees.
Reason 3: To collect
Like all works of art, fountain pen have long history and have come through many milestones in the course of development. Every pen has story to tell and to collect one is a luxury that a growing group of collectors have the privilege of following. Pen collecting is not only a past time or a hobby, but also an investment over time as the pens you collect appreciate in price. Usually you can sell a 5 year old pen at some 20% bigger price than initial.
Most collectors choose to buy Limited Editions for their collections, such as the Montblanc 75th Anniversary collection, the Parker mandarin yellow and Montegrappa’s Eternal Bird. Other collectors prefer to choose pens by brands, by type, by materials etc.
Reason 4: For weddings
Wedding is a time of union of two special individuals, the signing ceremony is one of remembrances and most of the time they are marked with significant sentimental moments that are captured by the signature on the marriage certificate and the use of a good pen to sign it with. Hardly anyone would want to sign up the marriage with a throw-away pen. The important pen is often time customized with engravings of the names of the couple and the date of the signing of the marriage certificate.
Reason 5: Company image and reputation
Companies often choose pens as marketing platform as they are easy to give away and its chances of being used (an important fact) is important as it reinforces the company’s name on the receiver of the pen. Each such pen holds special value as it serves the giver for years reminding of the company who issued it. Corporate customization such as engraving services and laser-screening of company’s logo on the pens also makes it look more professional and a great gift for all corporate partners and clients.
Reason 6: To skill the art of writing
Good penmanship is common nowadays, but great penmanship is almost as rare as a Mont Blanc Lorenzo Medici collection (if you’re curious, than this is the first Limited Editions made by the manufacturer, hence the rarity and the price). How can one learn great penmanship? From writing with a pen of course! What kind of writing? Calligraphy writing and fountain pen writing are of great help here.
Calligraphy writing originated from continental Europe and it is known to improve penmanship with the constant practice of the writing of the different types of fonts. It is derived from the Greek word ‘kalla’ which stands for ‘beautiful’, and ‘graphia’ means ‘writing’
Calligraphy workshop is highly recommended for schools, because the younger the kids learn to write, the better handwriting they can have when it comes to great penmanship and character building as well.
Reason 7: Up-scale status
A pen has become more than a pen nowadays; it has made a huge step over being a mere writing instrument. With the economy growth (rapid in certain parts of the world), pens have evolved and become a status symbol to own and show off as compared to the previous century where it was primarily a writing instrument. In the corporate world, owning a Mont Blanc pen shows one’s belonging to top managers, to those who issue orders and sign papers prepared by myriad of faceless drones. Just like watches, in this day and age, the perception of owning diamond-covered watches have become an item of status and luxury than simply a mechanism showing precise time.
Reason 8: The feeling of belonging
It can be referred to as ‘peer pressure’. Ever notice at one time almost every other person you meet in a given profession owns a thick Montblanc Meisterstuck collection pen? The desire to own a fountain pen is created by the person next to you who owns a particular pen, especially in the working environment where every one of your colleague and bosses owns a Mont Blanc, doesn’t it make sense to buy one for yourself as well, just to be with the others? Yes, your environment dramatically determines the type of pen you choose and own.
Reason 9: To give away later
Almost every brand increases its prices every year or every other year. It’s interesting to see customers who actually buy in quantity to keep for someday and give away every now and then when the chance occurs or some unplanned, unexpected event takes place (such as child birth). Besides, you get better offers for buying in quantity starting at a minimum of 10 pieces. For quantity purchases of over that number and up, saving may be more significant.
Reason 10: Inspiration to write
Writers, architects, designers, and artists like to own a posh pen for the inspiration it gives to them as they create their pieces of work. Pens like Lamy, Montegrappa, Montblanc and Waterman are amongst the favorites of pen lovers.
If you write a lot at work or in studies, or make a lot of creative design projects, chances are that you have a pen that you are inspired and motivated to write with. For some it can be a pencil, others choose fountain pen, and many students prefer Pilot-made V5.
Lawyers, Doctors and Accountants are also key users of Mont Blanc pens.
Mont Blanc Limited Edition Bernard Shaw Pen
Since the beginning of the 1990’s, Mont Blanc pen company started a new tradition of dedicating a set of writing instruments (normally including a fountain pen, a ballpoint and a pencil in luxurious gift box) in Limited Editions to great authors in history who are recognized for their literary genius and efforts to make the world literature more comprehensive. The Writers Series pens by Mont Blanc are artistically inspired by the creative life and works of the authors. The company always goes one step farther to give each new piece of art a little more value, hence the price of Limited Edition pens which easily goes over $100,000 per item. A final tribute to the famous author is his or her personal signature beautifully engraved into the side of each pen cap. Mont Blanc diligently carves the autographs of famous writers to tribute to their genius. Each and every Mont Blanc pen of the Writers Series bears a touch of personality of the author it is dedicated to. This makes each pen even more valuable and worth collecting by avid fans of the brand and passionate collectors of precious fountain pens.
Mont Blanc Limited Edition Bernard Shaw Pen
The George Bernard Shaw Limited Edition Collection, conjures the Irish countryside in green marbled lacquer, with the fountain nib engraved with a bouque. The pen bears the signature of George Bernard Shaw, a composer coming from Ireland who became a famous literary critic, but most importantly a dramatic playwright. In his life, mostly spent in London, Bernard Shaw wrote more than sixty plays. In 1926, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, and received an Oscar in 1938 after producing a screenplay for Pygmalion. A core symbol found on the Mont Blanc Limited Edition Bernard Shaw pen is the flower engraved on the nib of the fountain pen. This flower symbolizes Eliza Doolittle, the flower girl, who is one of the leading characters in Pygmalion.
The Bernard Shaw Writers Edition pen from Mont Blanc is yet another beautiful homage to a great author who deserved a place on the world literature Olympus. Shaw became known and respected thanks to his wit and playfulness at the time when these virtues were at a loss. He made a brilliant satirist of the XXth century. He was belonged to a conservative part of the society and paid little attention to public greatness and his own reputation. Long after Shaw’s brilliant life full of witty creativity, Mont Blanc pays tribute to him, his moral principles and light-heartedness that made his name a classic asset. The new Limited Edition pen honors his fatherland, Ireland. All in all, Mont Blanc Limited Edition includes 16,000 fountain pens bearing the signature of Bernard Shaw, and 18,000 ballpoint pens. Only 4,000 gift sets in luxurious wrapping with the Mont Blanc white star logo were released marking the Writers Edition line.