$2,500 Fountain Pen

What could be more extravagant than signing checks with a $2,500 fountain pen? Well, a lot of things actually. Perhaps signing checks with said pen aboard your private jet on your way to Saint-Tropez?

For such opulence, the folks over at Faber-Castell are bringing luxury-lovers who have a penchant for the written word their newest “Pen of the Year” for 2010. Connoisseurs of fine-writing instruments are most likely familiar with the German brand, considering that they have been perfecting their craft for 250 years, and debuting a new “Pen of the Year,” annually since 2004. Here are the official deets, direct from the luxury brand, on this year’s release, which was inspired by the passion for hand-crafted hunting rifles:

• On seeing the new pen one immediately notices the casehardened metal parts and the fine engravings. Until the late 19th century, case hardening was the sign of a high-quality gun, with the inimitable shimmering coloration it provides. No two casehardened items are identical.
• Before the case hardening, the engraver cuts a groove with a dovetail cross-section, and the 24-karat gold inlay is later set into it, which is then polished.
• The material of the barrel of the pen fully matches up to the claim of exclusivity: precious Caucasian nut wood. Stored for many years, walnut wood is tough and not particularly elastic but it does not warp or splinter. It also better withstands compression and flexing forces than oak.
• The hand-carved “fish scales” pattern rounds off the overall effect of the barrel.