Review: Monteverde Jewelria Brown Swirl

The time has come to finally review my Monteverde Jewelria in Brown Swirl 1.1mm stub! After getting the chance to play around with the pen and see how it performs, it is at last time to share the information and experience with my fellow readers...

Information

Pen Brand: Monteverde
Pen Model: Jewelria
Nib Info: 1.1mm stub/italic stainless steel (also takes Goulet Nibs #6)
Color: Brown Swirl
Filling System: Cartridge or Converter
Price Tag: $56.00 at "Goulet Pen Co."
Other: Hand turned resin and finished with chrome trim

 

Performance

This pen is a decent performer. I had it inked up with Stipula Sepia (which is an ink brand I am unfamiliar with in performance and such). In this pen it seemed to perform fairly well. The nib seems to have a little bit of flex to it. In regards to consistent performance, 97% of the time the pen writes just fine; without any skips or hard starts. On the rare occasion - generally after sitting for a while - it won't start writing immediately. That is easily fixed simply by doing some quick lines to get the ink flowing or by turning the piston and getting some more ink flowing down in the feed. I have written with other Monteverde pens (with normal nibs such as a fine/medium) and have not had problems.

 

Issues/Concerns

It wasn't until I finished writing my "rough draft" for this review that I noticed an issue with the nib (or ink possibly). The nib tines started acting funny. One ended up higher than the other. I am not sure if this was due to a clot in the ink (since I am unfamiliar with this brand and it's performance) or if it has to do with the quality of the nib. That would be my only serious concern I have in regards to this pen. It may be as simple as flushing the pen out and putting new ink in it.

There is only one other thing that kind of irks me about this pen. And that is the fact that the pen cap screws off and does not just pull/snap off. It is definitely something that takes getting used to. If it is not a big deal breaker for you, then  I would say not to worry.

Overview

If you can get over the minor stitch that the cap screws off than this would be a great pen to look at investing at. Over all for the price of $56, I think it is a bit steep. Especially since I can rely better on my work horse pens (Lamy Safari and Al-Star's) which are more affordable as well as more reliable. However, I do enjoy the excitement of having a different brand in the bunch (and a beautiful one at that too!).