Gemstones! Who can resist them?! Ever since I was little, I’ve loved rocks and gems. The colors, shapes, and textures fascinate me. I have many fond memories of my mother piling a bunch of kids into the car and taking us to the annual MS Gem & Mineral Show, or for an outing to the Petrified Forest in Flora, MS, where we would pour over the myriad selections of polished and raw stones and select a precious few to purchase and take home as our prize for the day. I’ve spent many hours wading through creeks and picking up stones that intrigued me. To this day, I still collect them, using them as accents on bookshelves and window counters, and even in flower beds around the yard. So, it is only natural that I decided to find a way to fuse my love of rocks and stones with that of fountain pen design. The Illuminaire is the result.

Illuminaire in Ivory Lucite & American Mined™ Gold Canyon Turquoise™ Cabochons

Illuminaire in Wisteria Alumilite with Amethyst Cabochons

The Illuminaire features a flush barrel pen design with slight tapers on each end. The cap and barrel finials are decorated with a round gemstone cabochon of 10mm for the cap and 8mm for the barrel. These gems “light up” the design in a way, or illuminate them, hence the name of Illuminaire.

Illuminaire in Solid Black Ebonite with Tiger’s Eye Cabochons

With literally hundreds of gemstones to choose from, the possibilities for a customer to mix and match stones with pen materials are endless. Birthstones, favorite colors, bright and attention getting or subdued and elegant. Another interesting aspect is that you can, by choice of material, increase or decrease the ‘presence’ of the stone cabochon. I anticipate customers having lots of fun with the myriad options here!   Check out the Illuminare page for details.

Six of these new models are available and ready for shipping on the Pens for Sale page.