The First 3D Printed Solid Gold Spica Virginis Fountain Pen Can Be Yours for €14K

The Gold Spica Virginis, van der Mast’s latest design, resembles an ear of grain and is named after the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, where in ancient drawings the virgin holds a bundle of grain ears. The 18K yellow gold color perfectly matches the color of grain. The pen is also available in 18K solid white gold.

Its creator, Dutch designer and technologist Rein van der Mast, is disrupting how fountain pens are made. Instead of relying on proven technology, in 2013 he started 3D printing titanium fountain pens and nibs. Today he is presenting his latest creation, 3D printed in both in 18K solid yellow and white gold.

“This type of white gold is developed for 3D printing, selective laser melting in particular. It is very white, and more important, it is very hard, eliminating the need for a rhodium coating.” said van der Mast, emphasizing that this is particularly useful for nibs. Van der Mast is the only one in the world 3D printing nibs and holds a patent application on it.

According to the Belgium fountain pen reviewer Dries Blues (pencilcaseblog.com): “The medium-broad nib writes like a dream. It offers a good amount of bounce, and some line variation if necessary. The feed provides a generous flow and keeps up well.” Also the pen case is extraordinary. Its complex structure is called a ‘non-uniform lattice’. Structures like this are only feasible with 3D printing. The case is 3D printed in aluminum and is also available in coated Nylon.

“For people who prefer the lightness of titanium, which is less than 1/3 of the density of gold, we offer our titanium version plated with a thick layer of 24K gold with a tiny amount of cobalt for better wear resistance,” said van der Mast.

The pen is available only in a limited edition with only 100 pieces of the Spica Virginis that will be manufactured. Each one will have its serial number included in the 3D print of the barrel. The three variants available include: 3D Printed in 18K yellow or white gold € 14.320,- (incl VAT).

This comes with the pen case 3D printed in Aluminum. 3D Printed in titanium and plated with a wear resistant layer of 24K gold € 4.960,- (incl VAT). Basic version, 3D printed in titanium € 2.490,- (incl VAT). Other alternatives and personalization are available upon request. The pens of Pjotr are exclusively available at La Couronne du Comte in Tilburg, The Netherlands and via its website www.lacouronneducomte.nl.