A Noble History
Faber-Castell is actually the oldest writing instrument manufacturer still in operation, and the company has had an extremely interesting history. I loved learning more about it while researching this article. They started small, in 1761, when Kaspar Faber began making the first Bleyweißstift lead pencils in his workshop in Ansbach, Germany. In its early days, the pencil business developed into A.W. Faber Company, and Lothar von Faber, Kaspar’s great grandson, set standard lengths, diameters, and grades of lead hardness that are still used today.
In 1870, two weeks after the first US trademark protection law came into effect, Eberhard Faber, head of the A.W. Faber branch in the USA, registered his trademark in the United States. It was the fifth trademark ever registered in the US! The four companies that registered first no longer exist, so A.W. Faber-Castell (now usually shortened to Faber-Castell) is officially the oldest brand name in this country.
As the company expanded and gained reputation, Lothar von Faber petitioned the Reichstag to institute trademark protections in Germany to combat counterfeit A.W. Faber products. Thanks to his efforts, the Act on Trade Mark Protection came into effect in Germany in 1875, and protections were expanded in the 1894 Act on the Protection of Trade Marks. Over time, the trademark was registered in Russia, England, Spain, France, and Italy, as well.
The company has remained in the Faber family for nine generations, and took on the name Faber-Castell in 1900, after the Faber heiress Freiin Ottilie "Tilly" von Faber married Alexander Graf zu Castell-Rüdenhausen, a count. ("Graf" is the German word for "count.") Her grandfather, Lothar, had stipulated in his will that the name Faber should remain in the company in perpetuity, so they changed their surname to Faber-Castell. Their new logo combined the Faber motto, "Since 1761," with the jousting knights from the Castells' coat-of-arms.
In 1928, Count Roland von Faber-Castell inherited the company, and, under his direction, Faber-Castell began manufacturing pens. They opened subsidiaries in France, Australia, Austria, Argentina and Peru during the 1960s. Today, Faber-Castell is still owned by Faber-Castell nobility, and the four siblings--Count Charles von Faber-Castell, Countess Katharina von Faber-Castell, Countess Victoria von Faber-Castell and Countess Sarah von Faber-Castell--represent the 9th generation of the family business.
The elegant writing instruments in the luxurious Graf von Faber-Castell line exude refinement, fitting for a division named for a Count. They are handcrafted by skilled masters in Germany, and Faber-Castell describes them as embodying "a harmonious combination of elegant rare materials, beautiful design, and a high degree of functionality." I love this succinct and accurate summary! For this article, I decided to focus on a few of our store's favorites: the Pernambuco Wood writing instruments from the Classic Collection, the whole Classic Collection Anello line, and the Perfect Pencil.
Classic Collections
The Classic Collection's striking highly-polished flared caps feature Graf von Faber Castell's special spring-loaded clip, which is designed to stay in place but respond with a quick-release so that it won't tear fabric.
The fountain pens' nibs are hand-made bi-colored 18 karat gold with Graf von Faber-Castell's coat of arms emblem. They feature an iridium tip, and are "run in" by hand. Our Faber-Castell representative, Rachel Lee, describes these nibs as being "like buttah," and they are indeed exceptionally smooth. During our recent store event, customers who tried them kept exclaiming over the feel!
The fountain pens are filled by standard international cartridge or converter, and Graf von Faber-Castell makes beautiful inks, although, of course they can fill with any brand.
[Pictured: Classic Anello Ivory fountain pen.]
Wonderful Wood
I timed the writing of this article to coincide with Rachel's store event, with the hope I could learn from her experience and enthusiasm. After hearing Rachel's passion for Pernambuco, I knew I had to choose the Pernambuco Classic as one of my points of focus!
Graf von Faber Castell's Classic Collection writing instruments each showcase a different beautiful material on their finely fluted barrels: Ebony wood, Macassar wood, Grenadilla wood, Pernambuco wood, shiny silver platinum, and solid 925 sterling silver. They are all slim, elegant, and exquisitely balanced, but Rachel's favorite is the Pernambuco wood because, as she put it, "it has the coolest story."
Faber-Castell maintains a number of FSC-certified forests around the world, all of which are managed to be ecologically and socially responsible, provide a habitat of native flora and fauna, and be harvested sustainably, while replanting trees every year. Pernambuco wood comes from Brazil, and Rachel told us that Faber-Castell originally started growing it for stringed instrument bows!
This incredibly high-quality reddish brown wood is very hard and flexible, and is still sold to make the best bows in the world. No other material can produce a bow with the sound of a pernambuco bow. However, some of the sawn timber is unsuitable for the production of bows solely because of its size. Faber-Castell buys back those pieces, and uses them to make their writing instruments, thus taking the sustainability even further and ensuring nothing is wasted. She said the Faber-Castell family really cares about the environment and are very kind, good people to work for. They are also directly involved in the designs of the pens and look at the details before anyone else does.
During our store event, Rachel showed me two Pernambuco Classic pens side by side. The ballpoint was eight or nine years old and had accompanied her to countless other events. The fountain pen was nearly new. The new pen is lovely, but it can't compete with the beauty of the older pen, which has acquired a rich, warm, reddish patina over time. The pens are varnished with natural wax to protect them from dirt and moisture, but the oils in your hands darken and condition the wood as you use them, further bringing out the nuances of color and structure and creating a writing instrument that is individual to you.
Your own unique way of holding and using their pen or pencil will give it a "signature" that cannot be replicated. As Rachel described it, you are "customizing it yourself and you don't even know it." The Classic Collection is available as fountain pen, rollerball, ballpoint, and mechanical pencil, so you can create a beautiful matched set or choose whichever writing instrument you love the most.
Faber-Castell's sustainability practices and environmental awareness apply to their other wood writing instruments as well. For example, the elegant Ebony Classic is made from Ebony trees that Faber-Castell grows in Madagascar. This very hard, dense matte black wood is used to make musical instruments such as piano keys, but Graf von Faber-Castell uses the pieces of wood that are too small for musical instruments.
The Grenadilla wood used in the Classic Collection is from Kenya. This luxurious deep brown wood is hard and dense. It's primarily used to make classical woodwind instruments, such as oboes and clarinets. Macassar is another type of ebony, and is extremely hard and durable, with a fine texture and variegated appearance, with variations of reddish brown to brown and black. All of the fine woods that Graf von Faber-Castell chooses are extremely beautiful and responsibly harvested. It's very hard to choose a favorite (unless you're Rachel, of course)!
Ringed Elegance with Anello
When I thought about which writing instruments to feature in this article, my mind went immediately to the graceful Anello series, which has always stood out to me as especially beautiful. Anello is Italian for "ring," and the pen's resin or wood barrel is separated by precious metal rings, so it's the perfect pen to commemorate a marriage or use to sign a marriage certificate.
The Ivory version is especially ideal as a wedding or engagement gift, and I have suggested it many times to engaged couples who have come to the store looking for a special pen to use at their wedding or as their gift to one another. Once they see the pen, they fall in love with it!
We have the Ivory Anello in both fountain pen or rollerball, and even as a pencil, for a matched set. Unfortunately, this beautiful colorway has been retired, but we do still have a few in stock, so you can get them while our supplies last. We no longer have the ballpoint available in this color.
The other Anello colors are beautiful, too! The sophisticated Black version with platinum plated trim has also been retired, and we have limited stock of the Black fountain pen, rollerball, and mechanical pencil, so if you love this stylish colorway, be aware that will only be available for a short time longer.
[Pictured: Black Anello fountain pen with Platinum-plated trim (retired) and Black Anello fountain pen with Rose Gold trim (not retired!). They are both classy and elegant options.]
The Grendilla wood Anello (which, like its fluted Classic counterpart, has Platinum-plated trim), and the Black with Rose Gold trim Anello will stay in Graf von Faber-Castell's lineup and these are available in fountain pen, rollerball, ballpoint, and mechanical pencil versions. It's very difficult to choose a favorite!
The Perfect Pencil
What makes Graf von Faber-Castell's Perfect Pencil perfect? This elegant and ingenious design contains everything pencil-lovers need to keep the pencil sharp, cover the sharpened tip, correct mistakes, and extend its practical use for much longer than that of its typical simple counterpart. The Perfect Pencil isn't a mechanical pencil; instead, it's an artist-grade wooden pencil equipped with a fine Platinum-plated, Rose Gold, or Black PVD-coated metal protective cap which can be used on either end to both protect the point and extend the length, so that the pencil doesn't get thrown away and wasted when it begins to get too short to use comfortably on its own. It comes in two sizes: a slim standard size like a typical pencil, and an extra-thick magnum size.
I asked Rachel whether the extender cap is designed to be used all the time, or only when the pencil is getting stubby, and she said it's a matter of preference. Some prefer the weight and balance with the extender posted at the back, even when the pencil is at its full length, but others set the cap aside until the pencil's length has diminished. I was impressed by the way the cap stays firmly in place on either end of the pencil, but pulls off smoothly when removed with intention.
Cleverly concealed inside the cap is the Perfect Pencil's high-quality built-in sharpener. It's invisible unless you know it's there, but is quickly and easily accessed by pulling on the flared end of the cap right above Graf von Faber Castell's special spring-loaded clip. I love the feeling of drawing out the sharpener, and the sound it makes. It's almost like unsheathing a secret sword! Using the sharpener is extremely satisfying and creates a lovely sharp point. I was able to try one of Rachel's and was very pleased by the results.
The Perfect Pencil also includes a small screw-on cap that covers the eraser end of the pencil, so that it retains its elegant appearance even when the eraser has been used and starts to look dirty or partially worn away. The eraser part of the pencil can be replaced as needed, and we sell extras, both in the standard and magnum sizes. The standard size replacement eraser also fits Graf von Faber-Castell Classic and Anello mechanical pencils.
Of course, we also sell refills for the pencils themselves! These come in elegant and practical flat cases that snap shut and are easy to pack or carry with you. The refill pencils are available in several styles to fit the standard and magnum sized Perfect Pencils.
The finely fluted wood-cased brown refill pencils are California cedar wood, and are a B grade on the hardness scale, so their graphite cores are 71% graphite and 23% clay. This grade is slightly softer than HB, which is equivalent to the standard #2 pencil. The #2 pencil is in the middle of the hardness scale and generally considered to be a "happy medium" for general use pencils, so the brown Perfect Pencil leans slightly toward the artist side of things, but is still great for everyday writing. The black refill pencils are 4B on the hardness scale, with a core of 79% graphite and 15% clay. They are softer and darker, so they allow particularly expressive writing and are ideal for sketching.
The Black Edition of the Perfect Pencil, which has a tough anthracite-colored PVD coating made of titanium, is particularly impressive when paired with the hefty extra-thick black magnum pencil!
[Pictured: standard-sized Black Edition and Magnum Black Edition perfect pencils.]
I'm not a pencil artist, but I've definitely seen artists go moony-eyed over these pencils. Our resident store artist, Lauren, told me that the Perfect Pencil would be her ideal college graduation present, and she was thrilled to finally have a rep from a pencil-focused brand visit the store! When she tried the Perfect Pencil that Rachel had brought to show, she moaned over how smooth and wonderful it felt, and could barely put it down to go back to work. Sorry, Lauren! That perfect dream pencil is expensive, but it just might be worth it. If you are a pencil-lover and can appreciate its elegantly designed features, it's the ultimate!
-Laura P.
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