Dunhill Namiki - Luxury Pens At Their Finest

By Ping Carr


There are only a few brand names of luxury pens that are truly considered belonging to the ranks of the elite, and Dunhill Namiki is one of them. Its craftsmanship is incomparable, with the rich history involved in each one merely adds to its allure. The name Namiki is from Ryosuke Namiki, the co-founder of the world distinguished pen manufacturer Pilot. The company was called Namiki Manufacturing Company from its creation in 1918 until 1938 when it was renamed Pilot Pen Co., Ltd. In the early 20th century, British-based company Alfred Dunhill sold the Pilot-produced maki-e fountain pens, Dunhill Namiki, in its main store and subsequently distributed the pens internationally.

Probably what sets Dunhill Namiki pens apart from other luxury fountain pens is their excellent maki-e lacquer painting on their body. Maki-e is a Japanese lacquer technique that uses sprinkling of metal powders. The method was produced hundreds of years ago, and only highly skilled maki-e artists are able to do an artwork with excellent artistic quality. This art form can be seen on Dunhill Namiki fountain pens, which make them much more appealing to collectors.

Some of these pens were made in a limited number, which makes them rare and valuable. But since they are considered rare, there are fake versions of these highly popular pens being sold online to entice unwary pen enthusiasts. The problem with ordering online is that the buyer only has the words of the sellers and some photos of the product to rely on, and most of the time, the pens in the images look so real. Even the most discriminating of serious pen collectors can be fooled by these fake Dunhill Namiki pens.

Fakes usually have distinctly modern ribbed feeds, while antique Dunhill Namiki feeds are flat that were typical in the 1930s. And while the fake pens seem to have printed graphics on their body, original Dunhill Namiki pens have raised textures and visible highlights as they generally use taka maki-e practice, or the sculpted lacquer practice.

A dunhill namiki pen is really a work of art. For serious pen collectors, it's like owning a genuine work of art with rich history. Not like disposable pens, these maki-e pens can be passed on from one generation to another. They can add to one's collection of fine pens or be given as luxury corporate gifts. Depending on the pen, it can cost from a few hundreds of dollars to even as high as more than $50,000 for vintage pieces.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment