Platinum Tiger In The Dark Maki-e (Shikkoku Anei taketoraou-zu) Fountain Pen Limited Edition

Platinum Pen Co., Ltd. launched their second sumikoage maki-e fountain pen last month (September).

In maki-e technique, there are few makie techniques to raise the design. One of the maki-e technique is called Sumikoage technique, which uses charcoal powder to raise the design.

I was told that the artisan has to craft the pen in a control air-flow environment to avoid the fine charcoal powder from floating in the air. The artisan also also need to good breathing technique for the same reason, and breathing in the fine charcoal powder which might cause health problem.

Beautiful pen from beautiful island Yakushima

Earlier in 2009, we wrote about Sailor using the woods from the tree grown from a mystery island - Yukashima. In that blog, we mentioned another pen manufacturer also used the same material to make pens at about 1/3 of the Sailor retail price. Did you mange to guess the pen manufactuer?

Platinum had been using the natural cedar wood from tree grown from Yukshima much earlier than Sailor. This trees are regard as National Treasure of Japan. Some of the trees are thousand of years old.

Since they are natianal treasure, the materials are taken from fallen tree, and not cut down purposefully to make the pen. No trees was "hurt" while making the pens. :-)

What is so magnificant about this cedar woods?

This wood are well known for it age but also it colour, beautiful gain and it light weight.

While both pen makers used the same materials from trees grown in Yakushima island, their pen price are miles apart. The price of Sailor is about 3x of Platinum. And their look is also very different.

The main diferent for that big price different is due to the fact that both pen makers uses different part of tree. What? You might think a piece of wood is a piece of wood, regardless whether you used the top or bottom part of the price.