In celebration of the One Hundred Series awarded as Best Pen, Brand Icon, Conway Stewart has launched a special limited edition of this classic model; The Model 100 Icon Edition. This is the first time the model 100 has been crafted completely out of sterling silver; the cap and barrel as well as the front section.
Each Model 100 Icon edition carries the sterling silver hallmark from the British Assay Office. The word hallmark is derived from London’s Hall of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and the term 'hallmarking' meaning 'marked in Goldsmiths' Hall', the originator of Britain’s first hallmarks. Since it has always been difficult to determine the purity of silver in an object by merely looking at it, many countries have tried to establish a system of ensuring that standards are maintained to protect those who buy silver products. In the UK, our system developed about six hundred years ago, when laws were passed to fix the purity of silver in manufactured articles to be at least 925 parts of silver in every one thousand parts. This standard became known as sterling silver and, in order to bear the sterling silver mark, any object had to be sent to and tested by the goldsmiths guild at the London Assay Office. This system probably represented the first form of consumer protection in the world.
In England, it is a punishable offense to offer for sale any article purporting to be made of a precious metal unless it bears the official hallmark stamp of one of the recognized Assay Offices.
Conway Stewart received the Best Pen, Brand Icon award for the Model 100 series in the Readers' Annual Choice category of Pen World International 2006. This award was given based on votes submitted by Pen World International readers.
The penalty for counterfeiting the Hallmark was originally death. This later changed to transportation to a penal colony; and today, the maximum penalty for counterfeiting a British Hallmark is 10 years imprisonment.
Each piece of silver produced in the UK is required by law to be sent to an Assay Office for hallmarking. If you buy a piece of British Hallmarked sterling silver you are guaranteed a quality item and a unique gift, which will hold its value and become an investment for the future.
Sleek and subtly curvaceous, our 100 Series looks fondly back to Conway Stewart's Golden Age of fountain pen production for inspiration. It is an extremely versatile pen, ideal for every occasion. Large enough to possess a commanding presence, yet not so outsized as to be unwieldy in either the hand or the pocket. The model 100 truly is the "best of both worlds".
The Model 100 Icon edition fountain pen is mounted with our large rhodium plated, iridium tipped 18 carat solid gold nib in a choice of eight different grades and utilizes the popular converter cartridge filling mechanism.
The Model 100 Icon edition is released as a special worldwide edition of 100 numbered pieces available in fountain pen, roller ball, ball pen and pencil.
WES Journal edition #126, Winter 2023
Spotlight on Conway Stewart Originally published in WES Journal 126, pp 26-29, 2023
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