Top 10 Most Beautiful Pens (via Figboot on Pens). David walks through his collection after having picked 10 of the best-looking pens in his collection. This is a fun exercise and has me wondering whether I should do the same.
Leveling Up with Tea (via Olive Octopus). I’ve always been much more of a black coffee/espresso fanatic, but I found this post on tea fascinating. I need to experiment more.
Paper Plant Co. Shop Visit (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). I love eclectic stationery stores, especially when they manage to work in complementary products other than stationery. Add this one to the list next time I’m in Los Angeles.
London Spring Pen Show 2025: My Haul (via Fountain Pen Blog). One of these days, I will make it to one of the London Pen Shows. This is a fun haul post.
Spring 2025 London Pen Show (via Dapprman). More pictures from London!
London Spring Pen Show 2025 (via UK Fountain Pens). An interesting aspect of the UK shows is timing. Most of these shows only last a single day, as opposed to the three-day extravaganzas that mark U.S. Pen Shows. I can definitely see the benefits of both approaches as the U.S. shows can overwhelm.
Traveler’s Company Stamp Caravan at Cityluxe (via Inkredible Colours). Each Stamp Caravan stop in a different city turns out a bit differently. Here’s the Singapore version.
Teranishi Guitar Smoky Navy (via Mountain of Ink). We love our Teranishi Inks, and one of the reasons they are such top sellers is what Kelli describes - they show sheen without the extreme smearing.
Writech Dual Color Multi Pens (Vintage Color Set) (via Well-Appointed Desk). Writech is one of those brands that’s been appearing more frequently in my feeds, and generally garnering good reviews. I need to try out some of their products.
Why Independent Penmakers Are Worth the Wait: Unboxing the Pens by Pasquale Merlin (via dwrdnet). It’s been a joy watching Nick grow as a penmaker over the past several years. I love this material and this specific shape. Nick regularly uses matte finishes as well.
In Case You Missed It…
This week on the blog I focused a bit more on travel, including my first “bag dump” post of the year! I also published a companion YouTube video, for those who would like to watch the unpacking in real time. Yesterday I went “back to basics” with the “Ask TGS” series, hitting two frequently asked questions that have popped up recently regarding how vacuum filling systems are supposed to work, and how to set expectations regarding nib sizes given the inherent differences among regions and brands, as well as all the various factors that can affect how a fountain pen writes.
This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop: More Maruman!
I’m almost finished with the “great unpacking,” having listed dozens of new products over the past couple of weeks as we add them both to the online shop and our shelves in the brick-and-mortar. I’ve been most excited about all the new Maruman Mnemosyne products, including the new Hardcover Journals (featuring a whopping 240 pages of heavier dot grid paper), the new Softcover Notebooks (a more traditional Mnemosyne A5 notebooks with standard lined paper), and these new 3-packs of A5 notepads. We also have new Nakabayashi Logical Air Paper (with a grid layout!), and the new Blackwing Volume 11 Bill Russell pencils, with matching notebooks. Be sure to keep an eye on each Thursday Drops post for a full list and description of new arrivals.
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