I saw them for the first time a few days ago, and I fell hopelessly in love with them. Etruria’s shape and ratio, the allurement of celluloid, the preciosity of silver, and then this new geometry of theirs. In one word: awesome.
Why hadn’t I heard of them before?
I immediately phoned Luca Viti, from Stipula, and, after an intense negotiation, I succeeded in hoarding some of them.
We are talking about different series, strictly limited to batches of 8, 18 or 20 items. According to the quantity of available raw materials, most of them are made of not only marbled celluloid, available in the hues of brown (Champagne) or red (Pizza), but also of orange/black ebonite, red cellocride. And there are also the AlterEgo and Pirite variants, formerly renowned for being used in the making of other models of the series Etruria or Modello T.
This is meant to be a Concept Series or, rather, a ‘be-bop Club’, to say it in Luca Viti’s words. Fixed loading piston, T-Flex nib, screw cap and sterling silver finishings are all features that contribute to make the new Stipula a precious tool.
Etruria recast unveiled by Luca Viti
Luca Viti, Sales Executive at Antiche Fabbriche Firenze, reveals the backstory of the new Etruria recast by Stipula in its faceted versions. This is a story that begins in faraway Arizona and arrives to the city of Florence, Italy.
Giardino Italiano: Let’s talk about the new faceted Etruria. Can you introduce them?
Luca Viti: This is an eccentric experiment started the last year within the American continent with a ‘be-pop-club’ range of items. A real treat, where each edition comprehends no more than 20 items per colour; sometimes they are only issued in ten pieces because of the lack of materials. I must say – with no false modesty – that the result is a superior pen: a piece to included in the collection of Stipula’s memorabilia.
Giardino Italiano: Etruria has always had a distinctive feature in its round shape: why change this now?
Luca Viti: I was ‘dragged’ into a new and interesting territory by an American friend – Bryant Greer – who pushed me for a faceted version of Etruria. It was a trial thought in Arizona, designed and sketched by myself here in Florence.
My first reaction was to think something like “what-the-hell-do-these-Americans-want-they-come-over-here-and-they-can’t-get-it”. Indeed, it was us. We were not getting it. Things are different when you see them from another angle, other experiences and cultures. And you can see the result: it’s awesome!
We ventured thinking out of the box and chose not to maintain the traditional round shape. The pen still keeps its gentleness and pleasantness in the hand, it has no sharp edges and it looks round even if faceted. This is due to a play of light: when the light hits a facet, it displays two more facets. Furthermore, if you notice, faceted pens are usually thinner. This is a true Etruria, instead: it keeps its maximum 17mm diameter of the cap, with only six facets.
Giardino Italiano: Same features of the standard Etruria, then?
Luca Viti: Its clip, in sterling silver, is the same. It stands out.
The six small rings are new, in sterling silver as well. They were first applied and then shaped and polished together with the celluloid by an expensive hand polishing process.
The nib is the extraordinary titanium lone striker T-Flex, that we have presented earlier (link) and that offers exceptional performance at a reasonable price.
Giardino Italiano: A new path for Etruria recast, then, after last year’s vicissitudes?
Luca Viti: In 2013 Stipula was bought by a company from Florence – Antiche Fabbriche Firenze (tn, Ancient Factories of Florence). They are carrying on the business, even if in a rebalancing regime requiring a containment of costs and resources. At the end of the year, given the results, they decided to continue. However, it’s difficult to tell in which direction we are heading. For sure, the traditional values that made Stipula pens so appreciated by their fans won’t be betrayed.
Giardino Italiano: And what about the nibs?
Luca Viti: This is big news! We have bought Cecchini, from Bologna, an ancient company manufacturing Globus nibs. Before and after the war they used to make nibs of all sizes, for all the existing brands at that time (Conklin, Sheaffer, Aurora, Pelikan, etc). We still have the moulds that produced nibs compatible with any brand. This piece of Italian history is being reunited within Stipula, thanks to the Italian equipment and the Catalan experience of a friend of mine. He’s a collector who saved a Spanish nib factory that’s been in business since the Seventies. Now, at the age of 90, he is transfusing his art and experience on our original equipment from the Forties.
This is a great opportunity to make what we want, the beauty of real experiments, or little series, and give back history and love to the writing tool.
The next year I foresee the issuing of a new series of nibs. The T-Flex shall be maintained. The titanium is ready. The others, not made of steel, will probably be made of gold or different alloys. In the past we have tried with 9 karat gold; this time we shall try the alloys of silver and vanadium. A new world is evolving.
Pizza & Champagne: special offers by Giardino.it
“If a universal dish exists, this is pizza, because it consists of a common base – the dough – that everyone can top their way and so express their difference.”
[Jacques Attali]
“When you win, you deserve Champagne. When you loose, you need it.”
[Napoleon Bonaparte]
Pizza and Champagne: two words to condense the essence of Italy and France. Two symbols that are also universal passions – almost obsessions – to celebrate the pleasures of life and stylise their people. “Cousins” tripping each other, but furtively going hand in hand when it comes to express their inclination to enhance their joy for existence. Just like the mix of resins used to make the new models of Stipula pens. They were issued in two different liveries that unequivocally hint to the symbols of Italy and France.
One is inspired by tomato, mozzarella cheese and basil – the three key ingredients for pizza – that translate into the resin’s hues of red, white pearly inlays and green fragments.
The other is inspired by the the bottle, glass and sparkles of Champagne, portrayed by the hues of brown with black veins, beige and amber pearly inlays.
The colours of these two models enhance the character of each pen, keeping their recognition thanks to the unmistakable Etruria style.
Etruria recast models will be soon available to Giardino Italiano‘s best clients at a special price, through their newsletter.
These are pens of unchanged superior quality, typical of Florence. Practical and with a new aesthetic, always true to itself. Different models that give the same pleasure in writing.
Please, visit the website to see all the details about these beautiful pens… Be it Pizza or Champagne, the new pens by Stipula will give you very good reasons to celebrate. The joie de vivre, after all, is a contagious feeling.