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DUKE Sapphire

Need bottled ink or refills?
His Nibs email

 

   

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"Dear Norman: I’ve been an aficionado of fountain pens for many years now.  My father, who makes his living by the mighty pen, has always been in search of the perfect (and elusive) fountain pen.  Our search had taken us the way of Sheaffer, Pelikan, Parker and Cross, to name a few.  Sadly, none of them quite fit the bill.  Some were too heavy, others too light, still others too scratchy … the complaints abounded. When I received my Sapphire, the quest ended.  Not only is it a strikingly beautiful pen, but it writes as if by itself!  It has quickly become my favourite pen and has become the object of envy by colleagues, friends and family alike. Thank you so much for providing such a lovely product, made all the better by your careful ministrations."
C. E., Toronto, Canada

"Hi Norman:  Thanks for the gorgeous Duke Sapphire pen!  I am delighted with the beautiful design, heft, and smooth delivery--all better than envisioned!  My wife was initially skeptical with all the warm testimonials but when she took this pen and wrote with it... she wrote "What an exquisite pen; the nib is like glass!! I want one just like this!"  I am happy to oblige, but I think another look at your other pens might still be in order.  The Sapphire, though, is just beautiful! Thanks again for the pen,  your note (with sealing wax!), and your great service.  You have a business that must give you much joy because you give such pleasure to others."
T. J., Victoria, Canada  

"Hi Norman. Just received my new pens today. They are even more beautiful than the WEB images imply! Absolutely love the Uranus Butterfly model...couldn't help myself...just so whimsical! And it was in YELLOW! Love the unique finger hold shape with the three sided finger flats...brilliant. The Duke Sapphire is as expected from Duke. Fantastic feel, just right weight and a splendid job of ornate metal inlay. I am going to build myself a wall display cabinet over the winter. Realized I forget about my small (but much loved) collection because they are hidden away for safe keeping. I'll send you pictures of the finished product! Thanks for the great customer service as well. Where else do you get hand written thank you notes with wax seals on original origami folds!!! You rock!"
R. P., Mount Albert, Canada

"Good afternoon Norman.  I am sorry I have not written before now about the Duke Sapphire I bought a few weeks back.  Things have just been crazy here at work.  The Sapphire is a lovely pen.  I have received several remarks here at work on its appearance.  The gold on black makes it stick out in any room filled with engineers taking notes.  But the beauty of this pen goes beyond being just skin deep.  One just has to uncap this black beauty and apply it to the nearest writing material and it sails across the surface like an ice cube across a hot surface.  It doesn’t matter if you are jotting down quick notes or writing a slow note showing off your penmanship, this pen does it all.  The Sapphires silky smooth action has quickly secured its place as my everyday pen and gets looks every time I slip it out of my pocket and into my hand.  The Sapphire is truly one of the best kept secrets of the orient. Thanks for your web site and offerings.
J. S., Hazel Green, AL

DUKE Sapphire interlay FP    $65.00    Sold out

The Sapphire overlay is a lot of pen for a modest price. It has a lot going on in its design, yet the gold 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 gold-plated 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 .

Ah yes, the sapphire. That's the other thing you readily notice about this pen, if your perspective is slightly altered.

The sapphire 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 to the right is under direct, strong sunlight, which I wanted to use to make the sapphire readily apparent. The jewel is slightly larger in size than that used in the Ruby 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 tow-toned 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.

 

 

 

 

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
(on PayPal transactions, the email address may also display as stonebri@verizon.net)

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)
2. Expiration date
3. Name on card
4. Address for billing statement
5. Card verification # (3-digit number printed on the back of your card. It appears after and to the right of your card number, or 4-digit number on the front of your AMEX card).
 

If you'd rather pay by money order or check, kindly make payable to:

His Nibs.com
  434 N. Leh St., 1A
  Allentown, PA 18104

We ship via insured Priority Mail
(email for cost)

 

 

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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All images and products on this site are trademarks, registered trademarks and/or copyright of their respective
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