Introducing the NOBILE ITALIA from Giuliano Mazzuoli

Umberto Nobile (1995-1978) was one of the key figures in the history of flight. A General in the Italian Royal Air Force, Nobile designed air ships (dirigibles, also known as “Zeppelins”) all over the world, but he is mostly known for having flown across the North Pole twice. The first time was in 1926 at the request of Norway with the airship NORGE, which he designed and commanded. The second time was in 1928 on an Italian expedition aboard the airship ITALIA, the namesake for this pen. You can read more about how that all ended up here. Yikes.

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The size and shape of this pen make it quite comfortable to write with. Also, if you invert the pen, it looks exactly like an airship.

With a comfortable, ergonomic shape reminiscent of the airship for which it was named, the Nobile Italia ballpoint and mechanical pencil allows the user to swap out a Schmidt Easyflow ballpoint refill or Schmidt .7mm mechanical pencil insert. A twist mechanism both deploys the ballpoint refill for writing and extends the mechanical pencil lead (the latter of which I haven’t experienced before on a mechanical pencil and which I’ve enjoyed). Both the ballpoint and mechanical pencil inserts are included with purchase, and Mazzuoli conveniently includes three different Schmidt Easyflow refills in blue, black, and red. The Mazzuoli Nobile Italia is available in four different finishes: Polished Chrome, Matte Chrome, Black, and Aviation Blue.

All Giuliano Mazzuoli pens are made in Italy. I’m pleased to offer the Nobile Italia in the T.G.S. Curated Shop in all four finishes, priced at $120. While all of these pens/pencils are great looking, that “Aviator Blue” version looks absolutely outstanding.

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Since Giuliano Mazzuoli also does their own printing, their packaging is top notch. I’m normally not a “Box enthusiast,” but the airship theme carries over here and it’s well-executed.

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The packaging is well laid-out, with three refills, the mechanical pencil insert, an eraser, and the Nobile Italia body itself. (All ballpoint refills ship in the medium size, and the pencil is .7mm.)

Personal Favorites: Clairefontaine French-Ruled Paper!

One type of paper that is featured on this website fairly frequently is Clairefontaine “French-ruled”, sometimes referred to as “Seyes-ruled” notebooks and looseleaf. As many of you know, I have a personal soft spot for this product - perhaps making it my all-time favorite stationery - because it reminds me of when I was living in France during college and law school, which is when I first truly started to appreciate good stationery and writing supplies. Clairefontaine paper was everywhere, even drugstores, and at that point in my life it was easily the best writing paper I had ever used. Since then, I’ve always kept a steady supply on hand, even if it meant carting back overweight suitcases stuffed full of French-ruled notebooks from Europe. I always said that if I was ever fortunate enough to have my own stationery shop, one of the first things I would do is stock it full of Clairefontaine paper! Now that’s a reality.

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There’s something elegant about this ruling that I love but can’t really explain. Part nostalgia, part stationery nerddom, I guess.

In general, Clairefontaine paper is some of the most fountain-pen friendly paper you can buy, but it also works great with other wet writers such as rollerballs and felt-tipped pens. While the French-ruled paper uses a combination of grid and lines originally intended to help those learning handwriting maintain consistent height and spacing of letters, I appreciate this paper for its unique aesthetics, as well as its versatility in allowing you to write both large and small, depending on the type of work you are doing. Use the darker blue lines if you need a wide ruling, or use the lighter blue lines to size down.

In recent years, Clairefontaine French-ruled paper has become easier to find in the U.S. Starting today, I’m pleased to offer this favorite of mine in spiral, cloth, and staplebound Clairefontaine French-ruled notebooks in The Curated Shop. Despite its high quality and the fact that it’s imported, Clairefontaine paper remains relatively inexpensive compared to many other fountain pen friendly options. You can give the French-ruled paper a try for as little as $3 in the A5 staplebound format. (For those of you who prefer graph, I also have spiral bound A4 and A5 notebooks.)

“You have a store now?” I get that all the time. Yes, earlier this year I launched a small curated retail operation that I’ve dubbed the “T.G.S. Curated Shop.” The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all products sold in The T.G.S. Curated Shop, including Clairefontaine, Write Notepads, Midori, and others. You can discover all the brands I carry here. If you’ve purchased from me, and were happy with the experience, I’d be eternally grateful if you’d spread the word!

First Look: Introducing Caran d'Ache Claim Your Style, Edition 2

Building on last year’s sleeper hit, Caran d’Ache has released six follow-up pens in their latest limited edition series, “Claim Your Style, Edition 2.” All of these are stunners. The new colors are “Bluish Pale,” “Burgundy,” “Canary Yellow,” “Cobalt Blue”, “Hibiscus Pink,” and “Veronese Green.” I expected to like the burgundy the best, but honestly the Hibiscus Pink and “Bluish Pale” might be my favorites. The hallmark of this series remains the “mix and match” styling between pen bodies, clips, and nocks. Choose your favorite color combination, or I suppose you could even take parts from multiple pens and create the pen of your dreams (though I could never officially recommend that).

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Caran d’Ache Claim Your Style Edition 2 is currently available for sale in the T.G.S. Curated Shop, priced at $40. The shop also carries multiple other special and limited editions Caran d’Ache 849 pens, such as this year’s Paul Smith collaboration in Paul Smith’s signature stripes, the stealth “Black Code” edition, and more.

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of Caran d’Ache via the T.G.S. Curated Shop.

T.G.S. Exclusive Penwell Now Available!

I’m proud to announce that my collaboration with Good Made Better is now available for purchase! This T.G.S.-exclusive edition Penwell features a unique “Aged Red” finish that draws its inspiration from the T.G.S. blog colors, burgundy and black. While these Penwells are powder-coated aluminum, as opposed to Urushi, I wanted to pick a finish that complements the look and depth of the dark red finish on my Nakaya Decapod. The subtle black and red grain on the Aged Red came out absolutely gorgeous.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Penwell, it’s one of my favorite fountain pen accessories that allows you to turn any pen into a desk pen. I have one on my desk at all times, and you can read my full write-up here.

These special edition Penwells are available in the T.G.S. Curated Shop, priced at $75. T.G.S. Patreon Supporters will receive special pricing, so if you are a Patreon member, please check your messages. All purchasers of the Penwell will receive a complimentary T.G.S. Bookmark from Good Made Better, and since these orders automatically qualify for free shipping, you can combine your order with other items from the Curated Shop. Since I just received a huge Write Notepads restock, you may want to stock up!

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Reading and Library Accessories in The T.G.S. Curated Shop

What’s currently on your TBR (to be read) list? While I’ve made progress over the past several months, my own keeps rapidly expanding because buying books is like buying pens - it’s not as though you’re going to stop! When I opened my shop, one thing I new I wanted to stock was a diverse line of reading accessories, ranging from the versatile Book Dart (one of my favorite stationery items of all times) to heirloom-quality pieces such as sterling silver page points and folded metal book weights in silver plate, copper, and bronze. As someone who loves to highlight, underline, and annotate as they read, I’m also happy to offer Caran d’Ache Graphicolor pencils in both a yellow/graphite “highlighter” combination, as well as a red/graphite “annotation” format. I’m constantly looking to expand what I can offer, so if you have a favorite reading or “library” accessory that you don’t feel gets the attention it deserves, or that you haven’t been able to locate easily, drop me a line and let me know! I’ll see what I can do.

Visit the T.G.S. Curated Shop for additional curated stationery items, including limited and special edition pens and pencils, as well as other carefully selected goods for the thoughtful reader and writer.