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Wednesday 6 March 2013

Exquisite Craftsmanship With Dunhill Namiki Maki-E Pens

By Ping Carr


There are only a handful of brand names of luxury pens that are really considered belonging to the class of the elite, and Dunhill Namiki belongs to that class. Its craftsmanship is incomparable, with the rich history involved in each pen only adds to its appeal. The name Namiki is from Ryosuke Namiki, the co-founder of the world distinguished pen maker Pilot. The company was known as Namiki Manufacturing Company from its formation in 1918 until 1938 when it was renamed Pilot Pen Co., Ltd. In the early 20th century, British-based company Alfred Dunhill retailed the Pilot-produced maki-e fountain pens, Dunhill Namiki, in its main store and eventually distributed the pens internationally.

The excellent maki-e lacquer art on the pens' body is perhaps what sets Dunhill Namiki pens apart from other luxury fountain pens. Maki-e is a centuries-old Japanese lacquer method that makes use of the sprinkling of metal powders. Only highly skilled maki-e artists are capable of doing an artistic quality work even up to this day. This art work can be seen in many Dunhill Namiki fountain pens, making them much more irresistible to collectors.

Some of these pens were made for only a limited number, and their rareness adds to their worth. But to attract unsuspicious pen lovers, there are also fake versions of these extremely coveted pens being sold on the web. And with only the words of the seller and some pictures of the item to depend on, even the most discerning of serious pen collectors can be fooled since the pens in the photos look so authentic. By the time it reaches the purchaser, it's far too late to realise that the product is bogus.

As were normal in the 1930s, vintage Dunhill Namiki pens have flat feeds. Fake pens, on the other hand, often have ribbed feeds that are decidedly modern in style. Dunhill Namki pens also have hard to reproduce beautifully handcrafted images, while fake pens seem to have their printed. The originals normally use taka maki-e, or the sculpted lacquer method, which gives pens raised surfaces and visible highlights.

A dunhill namiki pen is really a work of art. For determined pen enthusiasts, it's like owning a genuine work of art with rich history. Not like disposable pens, these maki-e pens can be entrusted from one generation to the next. 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 several hundreds of dollars to even as high as more than $50,000 for vintage pieces.




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