Five favorite ink colors, which I love for their muted vintage style: Vert Empire (Empire Green); Blue des Profondeurs (Deep Sea Blue); Vert de Gris (Verdegris); Poussière de Lune (Dusty Purple); and Cacao du Brésil (Brazilian Cocoa).

New in the Curated Shop: Three New Ink Lines!

February 14, 2023

A key project we’ve been working on over the past several weeks is the expansion of our selection of bottled fountain pen inks and other refill options. We recently had not one but THREE lines of bottled fountain pen ink arrive from Laban, J. Herbin, and Nahvalur. To accommodate these additions, we’ve created a separate page for all of the inks and refills, which should have the added benefit of making the store easier to navigate.

These little 10ml bottles of J. Herbin ink are an excellent way to test-drive ink colors before committing to a larger bottle.

J. Herbin Fountain Pen Inks

In today’s super-saturated (pun intended) fountain pen market, there are a lot of ink lines being released, and it’s easy to get lost in an overwhelming selection of brands and colors. Personally, I’ve started defaulting to the classics, and recently rediscovered my love for the Herbin brand - a classic French ink still made in Paris and distributed by the same people who bring us Clairefontaine and Rhodia papers. Herbin inks work well in fountain pens, dip pens, and with brushes. In addition to being versatile, they’re low maintenance and tend to wash out of pens quite easily without staining. We currently carry 16 different colors in both the 10ml and 30ml bottles, priced at $7.50 and $13.95 respectively.

Artemis Navy Blue is a gorgeous dark navy that doesn’t get a lot of attention. I hope to change that.

Laban Green Mythology Ink Series

Combining two of my favorite things in the word - writing and history - I’ve had my eye on this particular product line ever since they were released last year. Laban’s “Greek Mythology” series features a line of ten excellent inks themed around the ancient Greek gods and goddesses, and there’s not a bad one in the bunch. Laban nailed both the packaging and the bottle itself, which holds an ample 50ml of ink. We currently have all colors in stock except for Aphrodite Pink.

Nahvalur’s new “Explorer” line of fountain pen inks.

Nahvalur Explorer Fountain Pen Inks

Finally, fresh off the release of their Pen of the Year, Nahvalur has added four inks to match the colors of the “Original Plus” vacuum-filler fountain pen. Sold in 20ml bottles at $12.95 each, all four of these colors are slightly offbeat variations of green, blue, purple, and gold. The green and the blue are exceptionally nice looking, and all colors are available!

You can visit the entire Inks and Refills page here, and don’t forget to check out the rest of the T.G.S. Curated Shop. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by shop purchases and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

Grab a free sample with the purchase of certain select fountain pens. Individual samples are not available for sale, but we do stock the Cephalopod and Avian series sample sets.

Thursday Drops: A Special Pen Show Promotion

February 9, 2023

If you’re in Los Angeles this coming weekend (or if you’re simply on the West Coast), please be sure to visit the California Pen Show in its inaugural year! While we won’t be attending this year due to previous commitments, we will be at the upcoming Baltimore Washington Pen Show and the Arkansas Pen Show next month. Stay tuned for more details on exactly what we’ll have with us and how we’ll be set up.

The TWSBI ECO-T Saffron Yellow is currently available for purchase!

Even though we’re not attending this weekend’s show, we’re running a special promotion! All purchases of Nahvalur and Opus 88 fountain pens will receive a free sample bottle of Anderillium Ink, courtesy of our friends at Anderillium. The bottle of ink will be automatically added to your package when your order is shipped, so there’s no need to use a coupon code. Purchases over $120, such as a Nahvalur Nautilus or an Opus 88 Minty, qualify for two ink samples. Finally, the TWSBI ECO-T Saffron is available for pre-order. The pens are on their way to me and should ship later this week.

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all products in the T.G.S. Curated Shop.

Nahvalur Pen of the Year: “Year of the Rabbit” Nautilus. We have exactly ONE of these limited edition pens left in stock. They’ve sold incredibly well, and there’s been a lot of interest in Nahvalur’s new 14k gold nib.
Nahvalur Nautilus Black Ebonite Fountain Pens. We now have the Nautilus fountain pen in classic black ebonite, featuring either antiqued brass or black trim. (We also have one remaining Stylophora Berry limited edition.)
Nahvalur “Explorer” Bottled Ink. Nahvalur recently released a new ink lineup in colors matching their Original Plus fountain pens. Stay tuned for some additional ink swatches!
TWSBI ECO-T Jade Rose Gold Ink Sets. We have a handful of the ECO-T pen and ink sets in stock, and I love the way the Jade works with the rose gold trim.
TWSBI Vac700R Iris Fountain Pen. We have fresh stock of the Vac700R in the iridescent “Iris” finish. I traveled with vacuum-filler fountain pens this past week, and if you find yourself on airplanes on in circumstances where the temperature and air pressure change rapidly, a vacuum-filler or Japanese-style eyedropper with a shutoff valve can protect you from inky messes in your bag.
Midori MD A5 Natural Goat Leather Sleeve. Looking for a gorgeous natural leather A5 pouch that will patina beautifully as it ages? Check this one out, as well as our other Midori natural leather covers designed to fit any of the Midori MD Notebooks.
Letter Writing Supplies in our “InCoWriMo” Section! It’s International Correspondence Writing Month, or “InCoWriMo,” and we’ve pulled together all of the various letter and writing supplies into one section of the paper shop.
WMS & Co. Hand Stamps. We stock WMS & Co stamps ranging from a customizable self-inking desktop stamp perfect for making your own letterhead or personalizing your library, to these “philosophical” wooden handstamps certain to liven up your interoffice mail!
WMS & Co. To Do and Calendar Notepads. Some of our most popular desktop writing accessories, the WMS & Co. undated calendar pads come in both full-size and keyboard layout, and the "Next” to-do lists are a new addition. I find the paper to work quite well with most fountain pens.
Traveler’s Company Dated Calendar Refills 25% Off! I just have a handful left, and it’s not too late to start your 2023 planner and still get nearly the full benefit of your planner.

This year we’ll be returning to the Baltimore Washington International Pen Show, and will be next to our friends at Vanness!

Spotlight On: Write Notepads Paper

February 7, 2023

Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, Write Notepads was one of our original brands - actually, one of the only brands - that we carried when we launched our shop at the 2020 Baltimore Pen Show in March of 2020. (Great timing, right!?!) Three years later, it remains a personal favorite and a top seller. Why do I think it’s so great? In addition to the “modern traditional” design, the paper is both fountain pen friendly and slightly absorbent, so that it dries quicker than many other options. You can read more on what this paper is capable of here.

Even with a very wet pen like a Conid Bulkfiller (with a medium titanium nib), the paper holds up to the ink flow. I’ve been using one of the roughly A5 Paper Notebook Journals in my Lochby Field Journal, where it fits comfortably.

Last week we received a full restock of most Write Notepads notebooks in the colors that are currently in production, including the Landscape-style ruled notebooks, the Reporter Notepads, and the Paper Notebook/Journals. We also have what might be my personal favorite of the Write Notepads products: writing pads that are sold in packs of two, in either lined, dot, or “meeting”-style rulings. Finally, we picked up what might (?) be a final order of the limited edition “Chesapeake” pocket notebooks from a few years back. Many thanks to Write Notepads for supporting us all these years!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold. We are constantly updating our shop so check back often to see new arrivals in pens, paper and notebooks, desk/reading accessories, and smaller items such as washi tape and enamel pins!

Thursday Drops: 2023 Shop Expansion, National Stationery Show, and More!

February 2, 2023

You may have noticed a flurry of activity around the T.G.S. Curated Shop. That’s because after a brief pause in mid-2022 to evaluate our chosen product lines and tweak our focus, we decided to move forward with expanding several of the brands we carry and bringing additional lines on board. This coming weekend, we’ll be attending the National Stationery Show in New York City, one of the largest stationery trade shows in the world! I’ll keep you updated on anything fun we fine, so keep an eye on Instagram!

This Week’s New Arrivals

Many of you have been asking when favorite core brands such as Write Notepads, Clairefontaine, and Rhodia would restock, and I’m happy to announce that nearly everything is currently in-stock and ready to go! As usual, I’ll hit the highlights below as I do every Thursday morning, but be sure to check out the New Arrivals for both Pens/Pencils and Paper, as well as our constantly updated InCoWriMo-themed page, with letter writing supplies selected for International Correspondence Writing Month!

Nahvalur Pen of the Year Year of the Rabbit — The Nahvalur Pen of the Year is a collaboration with Starry Night Resins, who created the material for my Hinze Pens “Five O’Clock Somewhere” fountain pen.

New Pens, Pencils, and Inks!

Nahvalur “Year of the Rabbit” Limited Edition Nautilus Fountain Pen. Nahvalur (formerly Narwhal) recently released a 14k gold nib, and it’s featured in their latest limited edition “Year of the Rabbit” release which pairs the Nautilus shape with a white pearlescent acrylic from Starry Night Resins. These are extremely limited and we only have a couple in stock as the initial batch is going fast.
Nahvalur Nautilus Corydoras Bronze and Cephalopod Black. The original Nahvalur Nautilus designs are still some of the sharpest, pairing black ebonite with antiqued bronze or black trim.
Nahvalur Explorer Fountain Pen Inks. Nahvalur has chosen four initial ink colors to match their “Original Plus” Vacuum-Filler fountain pen (also back in stock in all colors).
Anderillium Inks (including 8-Bottle Sample Sets). The most popular colors of Anderillium Inks are now available, including “Colossal Squid Dark,” “Green Kingfisher Green,” and “American Goldfinch Yellow”. We’ve also brought back the 8 bottle sample sets, where you can get eight .5ml bottles containing each color from both the Avian and Cephalopod series.

Newly Arrived Paper and Notebooks, Including Lalo, Midori, and Clairefontaine Letter Writing Paper!

G. Lalo Correspondence Pads and Envelopes. This high-quality French-made laid paper comes in three different colors: light blue, white, and ivory. Both writing pads (A5) and matching envelopes are available.
Rhodia Composition Books. A core shop favorite from the early days is back in stock after being distributor-backordered for quite some time. These durable composition books feature a classic cloth binding and Rhodia paper.
Clairefontaine 1951 Clothbound Notebook. Similar to a composition book, these A5 notebooks are slightly smaller than the classic size but feature a vintage-style cover and Clairefontaine’s exceptionally fountain pen friendly paper.
Quo Vadis Habana Notebook Journal. In my opinion, Quo Vadis makes one of the best “faux leather cover + elastic” notebooks out there. These feature white dot-grid Clairefontaine paper, perfect for fountain pens. These are hard to keep in stock because they’re relatively difficult to find and I have a core set of customers who snap them up as soon as they arrive.
Write Notepads Memo Pads. Probably my favorite paper for everyday writing, these letter-sized memo pads are sold in sets of two, and feature either dot grid, lined, or meeting-style layouts.
Write Notepads “Chesapeake” Pocket Notebooks. They’re back! These PUR-bound pocket notebooks are another personal obsession, and we’re glad to have them back in the shop for at least one more round!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

Spotlight on Nahvalur Fountain Pens: Introducing the Year of the Rabbit Limited Edition

January 31, 2023

Last year we brought Nahvalur (formerly Narwhal Pens) into the shop, driven by two specific models: the “Original Plus” vacuum-filler fountain pen and the “Nautilus” piston filler, featuring Nahvalur’s signature “porthole” ink windows. This week, we’ve not only restocked on the Original Plus but have added two new Nautilus fountain pens and will soon add Nahvalur’s new “Explorer” ink line.

Nahvalur 2023 “Pen of the Year” is Now Available

The big announcement this week is the release of Nahvalur’s 2023 Pen of the Year, the “Year of the Rabbit” limited edition Nautilus. Featuring a pearlescent white resin and a 14k gold nib, this release is limited to 223 pieces worldwide and we were lucky enough to get a handful. Available in either fine or medium.

The white resin used in the Year of the Rabbit pen comes from Starry Night Resins.

As I mentioned above, we’ve also added the classic black Nautilus ebonite piston filler featuring either an antiqued bronze (“Bronze Corydoras”) or black (“Cephalopod Black”) trim, and we once again have all colors of the “Original Plus” fountain pens in stock, including the popular Ocellatus Gold which sold out quickly.