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DUKE Ruby
Need bottled ink or
refills?
Click on photos to enlarge
"Hi Norm. Received my Duke Ruby pen on Mon. but
only now have the time to thank you. It's a very smooth writer and quite
elegant with the filigree on the cap and barrel, the Duke inscription, and the
small but attractive cap jewel. I am also impressed by the velvet box it comes
in. Fantastic!"
K. G., Columbus, OH
"Hi Norman. I have to say again how much I love
your wonderful site. Thanks to you, I'm now a Chinese pen junkie! I ADORE my
Duke Ruby, by the way. It is so slim and elegant and writes so smoothly. Like
nothing else in my collection." DUKE Ruby interlay FP
The Ruby overlay is a lot of pen for a modest price. It has a lot going on in its design, yet the silver and black somehow still keeps it demure. The first thing that you notice when looked at in profile is of course the lovely metal tracery of the cap. Although it appears to be a conventional overlay at first blush, upon closer examination it's as if the chrome design is actually embedded within the black lacquer of the pen and virtually flush with its surface. I'm choosing to call this an interlay instead . This delicate tracery design is carried over to the bands at the top and bottom of the cap, as well as the center barrel band. The bottom cap band is further adorned with 'DUKE', and on its reverse side, 'Ruby' in flowing script. Ah yes, the ruby. That's the other thing you readily notice about this pen, if your perspective is slightly altered. The ruby that rests atop the cap (finally, a cap 'jewel' that really is a jewel) is subtle in appearance rather than overpowering. It's of just the right size and color to add some understated panache to the overall pen design without being gaudy. The close-up shown below is under direct, strong sunlight, which I wanted to use to make the ruby readily apparent. The jewel is slightly smaller than that used in the Sapphire model.
The pen measures a full-sized 5-1/2" capped and a bit over 6" posted. The clip bears the DUKE 'crown' logo. The cap is of the 'slip cap' variety, and re-seats with a secure 'snap'. The lovely steel spear-point nib is plated with 22K gold and platinum, and like most DUKE nibs produces a line between a western fine and medium, or what I term a light-medium. The pen has a nicely textured section, affording a sure and comfortable grip while writing. Unscrewing the all-metal fittings between the section and body reveals the large-capacity piston for bottled ink.
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The pen ships in a large, light gray gift box.
IMPORTANT SERVICE NOTE: Every nib that ships from His Nibs is closely examined under high magnification and tuned or adjusted if needed. About 85% of modern nibs need some adjustment out-of-the-box from the manufacturer for an optimal writing experience. Most commonly, the tines of the nib are misaligned -- which would cause scratchiness at the minimum; the slit between the tines is partially or fully closed -- which would starve the nib of ink and at best cause skipping; or the slit between the tines is too wide -- which will either again cause skipping, or conversely, flooding. There are other factors -- such as separation of the nib from the feed -- that are inspected and repaired before any pen leaves the Palace. The only 100% guarantee of course comes when the pen is actually filled with ink and written with for the first time, but our pre-shipping inspections and tunings have eliminated 99.99999 (my finger is getting tired) of the frustrations that a customer experiences when first using a new fountain pen. Although this can be time-consuming on occasion, it affords our customers a much more pleasant experience when receiving a fountain pen from His Nibs -- and saves us the frustration of dealing with returns! |
Ordering Procedures & Returns International customers, please note, we will not falsify shipping documents Please send your order and shipping address (along with any questions) to:
orders@hisnibs.com We will email you back with your order total (PA residents please add 6% sales tax) Credit cards, for the quickest fulfillment of your order, are accepted through PayPal, a secure site allowing you to use your credit card without us even seeing the information. If you'd like to make use of this credit card service, please let us know when you email your order and address, and we'll email you the appropriate Request for Payment, and instructions for the simple payment procedure (you don't need to join PayPal to use it).
If you would like us process your credit card directly instead, then please email us: 1. Card # (dividing this number in two, between two emails, will
ensure security) If you'd rather pay by money order or check, kindly make payable to: His Nibs.com We ship via
insured Priority Mail
Warranties and returns If an item proves to be defective, in most cases the manufacturer's warranty will apply. However, please email us first so that we can determine the easiest way to resolve the problem to your satisfaction. In the case of fountain pens -- which are a bit more individualistic than other writing instruments -- what may at first appear to be a defect (hard starting or poor flow for example), can in almost all cases be resolved with a few simple 'tweaks' to the nib, which we'll be happy to guide you through or perhaps suggest returning to us for adjustment. Should you wish to return a non-defective item within 3 days of receipt because it doesn't suit you for some reason, again please email us and we'll arrange an exchange, credit or refund (minus any shipping/insurance charges), if the item is returned in an 'as new' condition. If you've dipped a fountain pen to try its writing characteristics, kindly clean off any ink residue prior to shipping -- to save us both a nasty surprise . We want you to be happy with your purchase from HisNibs.com and hope to have you join the ranks of our many long-term, repeat customers!
Revised: August 19th, 2023
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