The first known man-made works of art date from roughly 34,000 years ago, made of a material that still retains an aura of mystery: mammoth ivory.
The 2006 Pen of the Year barrel is made of mammoth ivory, set into an ebony framework to form an elaborate inlay. For the best mammoth ivory one must undergo adventurous expeditions to the coast of the Arctic Ocean in Siberia. Frozen in pure ice, the ivory there has retained its immaculate beauty. It comes to light only during the brief Siberian summer, for example when a piece breaks from an iceberg. For export, the ivory requires a license that cannot be granted until a scientific assessment has been carried out.
Ivory is frequently combined with ebony, known even in antiquity as one of the most beautiful and most expensive of woods. The heartwood, very dark brown to black, shows off the creamy white of the ivory almost perfectly. Mammoth ivory is no ordinary ivory. It is 20 to 25 percent heavier, and a connoisseur will immediately recognize it from the unique veining. The material has absorbed moisture during the millennia it was buried in the ice, and needs to be slowly and carefully dried out over a period of three to five years. Only then can one cautiously cut, grind, turn, and polish it. This takes special skills, and hardly anyone is better suited to the task than Jürgen Schott. As grand master of the guild of ivory carvers in the Odenwald region near Heidelberg, he is familiar with the rich tradition that has produced many outstanding works of art over the past 200 years.
Each pen is individually numbered and supplied in an exclusive ivory-colored wooden case together with a beautifully printed leaflet and a certificate that it is one of a limited edition. This bears the personal signature of the master craftsman Jürgen Schott and attests the quality of the ivory.
Fountain Pen - Limited to 2,000 pieces.
*The 2006 Pen of the Year is no longer available.
