Grifos Oikos Fountain Pen

Handcrafted in Italy’s Aosta Valley, the Grifos Oikos fountain pen takes its name from the ancient Greek word for household. The fundamental unit of Greek society, “oikos” can be used to describe a family, the property where it lives, and the concept of home—and references to it can be found throughout Homer’s Odyssey. This pen, too, evokes feelings of home; of harmony, luxury, and utmost care. The barrel features solid .925 sterling silver with a classic guilloche pattern, made in the tradition of the Italian silversmith guild. The gleaming black lacquer cap opens to reveal a stainless steel nib, and posts to add length and weight while you write.

The guilloche technique originated in the 18th century, and uses a manual diamond-cutting tool to engrave metals with elaborate patterns. Over the years, the craft has been handed down from generation to generation using machines that are operated the same way they were three centuries ago. Rare among pen companies today, Grifos has an in-house guilloche machine that allows its silversmiths to engrave on-site.