Forbes.com 02.13.07
In an age where virtually all correspondence is done electronically, it may seem surprising that luxury shoppers are expected to soon be lining up to buy a pen.
But this is not just any old writing utensil. The limited edition pen, called "The Mystery" and unveiled last week to commemorate the 100th anniversaries of luxury pen maker Mont Blanc and jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels, comes encrusted with 840 diamonds and 20 carats of gemstones, including rubies, sapphires or emeralds. Ready for this? It costs a whopping $730,000.
"Think of this project like a collaboration between Matisse and Picasso,” says Stanislas de Quercize, president and chief executive of Van Cleef & Arpels. "It took months of planning with designers and creative directors, and another 18 months to create the pens. These are truly works of art with inquiries already coming in from collectors. We expect the pens to sell before they leave New York.”