All pens aren’t created equal. With a history spanning more than 250 years, Graf von Faber-Castell the German stationery manufacturer Faber-Castell has produced a line of pencils and pens. These high-end writing instruments are made with luxury materials that see all the Classic, Intuition and Guilloche series being made with luxury materials such as ebony, resin, and ivory.

Since 2003, Graf von Faber-Castell has produced a line of limited-edition fountain pens, which have become synonymous with luxurious writing culture and the finest craftsmanship, named the “Pen of the Year”. Inspired by the heroes of Sparta, each has a nib of 18-carat bicolor gold with a barrel of exotic materials, creating an indomitable aura, elegant strength and showing superior aesthetics.

The Pen of the Year 2020 was created in the style of the blacksmith’s art of the times of King Leonidas, who used this process to yield armor, swords, and shields. The proud heroes of ancient Greece, the brave and elite Spartans valued pride, honor, and loyalty, all conveyed into the creation of the Pen of the Year.

Embodying durability, endurance and aesthetics the pen features a milled pattern on the barrel reminiscent of the strip-style armor worn in the abdomen region of these brave warriors. The barrel is adorned with premium diamonds set by hand and a total of seven rough diamonds adding up to 0.35 carats on its barrel are symbolic of the robustness and uniqueness of the bold Spartans. With strict precision, the uncut diamonds on the barrel embody the Greek values of pride, perseverance, and dignity. The spring-loaded clip on the cap is based on the Greek ridge helmet, a signature piece of defense with a powerful shape of a horse’s neck. The Spartan’s large, round shields were emblazoned with lambda – the eleventh letter in the Greek alphabet and shorthand for the Lacedaemonians – the historical name of the Spartan state – inspired the lacquered inlay in the end cap which also features the lambda.

The exclusive Black Edition of the Pen of the Year 2020 features further brings the myth of Sparta and its heroes to life with its 18-carat gold nib for precise writing pleasure. Limited to 80 rollerball pens and 270 fountain pens, the barrel is made from titanium and decorated with 42 uncut diamonds of 2.1 carats in seven rows of six diamonds each.

Each pen comes in a high gloss black wooden case with a certificate signed by Count Charles von Faber-Castell attesting to the authenticity of the limited edition.