Classic Pens LR7 Moonlight 2013

by Jim Mamoulides, April 28, 2013

Classic Pens LR7 Moonlight

Another stunning Paul Rossi masterpiece from Classic Pens

Classic Pens is in the final design stages of its newest high end working partnership with Paul Rossi, the LR7 Moonlight Limited Edition. Paul Rossi is one of the world's finest artists in silver, and this new pen represents some of his best work. A beautiful handcrafted art pen, it evokes a nighttime forest scene lit with a full moon, gold star constellations and a scattering of silver stars. The LR7 Moonlight also includes Paul Rossi's exclusive hand crafted sterling silver Art Clip with unique facets and a rock pattern to compliment and enhance the design.

Each pen will be hand crafted from two rods of special diffusion bonded acrylic as the base, one for the cap and one for the barrel, a solid cylinder of sterling silver, inlaid mother of pearl for the moon, and inlaid silver and gold rod elements representing the stars in the moonlit sky. Paul Rossi inlays gold stars in the barrel window sections to enhance the moonlight effect. The constellations Big Bear and Little Bear are inlayed on the cap, either side of the clip, in large silver stars. Smaller silver stars are inlaid artistically on the cap and barrel to compliment the composition. Finally, the hand crafted art clip, with facets and a rock pattern sculptured on its face complete and enhance the design. This pen is a stunning combination of deep relief sculpture in silver filigree on acrylic, representative inlay work and yet a fully usable and functional writing instrument.

The pen is based on the very large, oversize Classic Pens Mythos® 877L model, measuring 6 inches with the cap on and a very long 7 1/2 inches with the cap posted on the end of the barrel. To get a sense of the scale of the pen, it is larger in every dimension than a Pelikan M1000, and 1/2 in longer than a Parker Duofold Centennial.

LR7 Moonlight fountain pens will be fitted with the excellent Classic Pens custom Bock oversize 380 nib and will be available in Fine, Medium, Broad and one Italic, likely a Medium Italic. Collectors who have purchased the CP8, LM1 and ZJ1 series pens will be familiar with the high quality and smooth, wet writing characteristics of the Classic Pens logo Bock nibs.

Classic Pens LR7 Moonlight, open

During the design process, suggestions were been made to add two or three wolves on the silver filigree design, to represent "wolves howling at the moon". Wolves howling is of course their way of communicating with one another, and this aspect of the nature of wolves is loved, and would add an interesting dimension to the composition.

Classic Pens intends to launch this new edition at the Washington DC pen show in August, 2013. The company is accepting pre-orders at a 20% discount with 50% deposit. The pens will also be available from selected dealers and also direct from Classic Pens. The pens will be handcrafted chronologically, based on the receipt of pre-orders

Collectors should note that the pen bears some similarities with the Classic Pens CR1 Moonlight Mythos®, a smaller, full size pen, which retailed for $5,750, making this pen a fine compliment to that edition. Where the smaller CR1 Moonlight includes a lighthouse to the left of the moon on the barrel in the silver filigree window, the oversize LR7 Moonlight depicts a deep forest scene with tall conifers in the glow of the moon.

Where the full size CR1 Moonlight series was limited to only ten pens, the new oversize LR7 Moonlight will be handcrafted to order and likely be similarly exclusive, with up to twenty-five pens total projected for the edition. It will take Paul Rossi two to three weeks to handcraft one LR7 Moonlight and the list price will be $6,750 per pen.

Classic Pens LR7 Moonlight, closed

Identification guide and features:

• Hand turned diffusion bonded Space Blue acrylic cap and barrel, with blue pearlescent section in the base of the filigree
• Hand crafted, hallmarked, sterling filigree depicting moonlit forest scene on barrel
• Inlaid mother of pearl moon in barrel
• Inlaid sterling silver stars in cap and barrel
• Sterling silver .925 cap band
• Sterling silver .925 Art Clip with facets and a rock pattern engraved face
• Offered with choice of two-tone rhodium plated 18-karat gold Bock nib, to compliment the silver filigree and silver trim
• Nibs offered will be Fine, Medium, Broad and one Italic, likely a Medium Italic
• Screw on cap
• About 6 inches long capped, and about 7 1/2 inches long with the cap posted on the end of the barrel
• Weighs 1.7 ounces
• Cartridge/converter filling system, using international type cartridges
• Retail price $6,750 for either fountain pen or rollerball pen version
• Additional front ends to convert the fountain pen or rollerball pen LR7 into a "3 in 1" writing instrument will have a retail of $450
• Luxury gift box

Classic Pens LR7 Moonlight, panorama

Performance

From the top of the cap to the base of the barrel, every aspect of the pen shows detail and craftsmanship expected from a custom crafted artwork. The cap includes a handcrafted sterling silver Art Clip, made in the Classic Pens "cravat" style, with a deeply cut facets and a rock pattern down the face. The clip is flanked with a deep blue night sky with sea of stars, inlaid into the Space Blue acrylic using sterling silver rods. The base of the cap has a very wide sterling silver cap band that meets the top of the sterling silver filigree when the cap is screwed on.

The barrel is a complete work of its own, a high relief hand crafted and engraved sterling silver filigree of a deep nighttime forest scene with a prominent tree, a bright mother of pearl moon, and more silver stars fading down to a mottled blue floor. The constellations Big Bear and Little Bear are inlayed with large silver stars on either side of the clip. Gold stars inlayed in the barrel silver filigree windows enhance the nighttime view. Paul Rossi creates complimentary textures for the different design elements, including the tree trunk, branches, leaves, and rocks by hand, so each pen is a unique piece. Imagine a cool fall evening in a northern forest to get the idea.

The LR7 Moonlight is a very large pen, about 6 inches long capped, and about 7 1/2 inches long with the cap posted on the end of the barrel. It's actually too large in my hands to write with posted, though very comfortable as is. The nib is very large and yet proportional with the size of the pen and writes very smooth, wet, and evenly, as I would have expected, having also tested the CP8, ZJ1 and LM1 models from Classic Pens.

Paul Rossi again demonstrates his mastery in telling a story on a high end pen, working in partnership with Andreas Lambrou at Classic Pens. The LR7 Moonlight would be a superb centerpiece of any collection, and yet the pen is quite usable as a daily writer and would be admired either way.

I am looking forward to seeing this new and exciting pen when it is released at the Washington D. C. Pen Show in August, 2013!