What is the Most Expensive Pen in the World?

Apparently, it’s a necessity every few years for a pen maker to come out with a design that exceeds the extravagance of any pen produced before it. As each progressively jewel-encrusted piece is unveiled, the price tags for these pens climbs higher and higher.

At the start of the millennium, Swiss luxury pen makers Caran d’Ache laid claim to the world’s most expensive pen with a diamond-encrusted version of its Modernist-inspired fountain pen range. La Modernista Diamonds were set with 5,072 diamonds, 96 rubies, and an 18 kt. gold tip. According to The Independent, the pen sold at Harrods for more than £144,000.

La Modernista Diamond Pen

But then, German pen maker Montblanc and French jewelry designers Van Cleef & Arpels both celebrated their centennials in 2006. To mark the occasion, the companies joined to make an even more extravagant pen. The Wall Street Journal reported that craftsmen worked on the design for more than 18 months, producing nine pens known as the Limited Edition Mystery Masterpieces. Each had 840 diamonds and 20 carats of gemstones – three with rubies, three with sapphires and three with emeralds. The pens were unveiled in February 2007 at a price of more than £455,000.

Montblanc Mystery Masterpiece

But that apparently wasn’t ostentatious enough. In early 2009, the Italians trumped the high-end pen market with the Diamante, what luxury pen maker Aurora describes as, “the only over 30-carat pen in the world.” The pen is made of platinum and covered with 2,000 diamonds. The nib is made of gold. Price tag? About £900,000. Only one of the pens are available each year, according to The Daily Mirror.

Aurora Diamante

There truly is such a thing as having too much money, so we don’t doubt that the Mystery Masterpieces and the available Diamantes have already been sold. But just to find out, we’ve sent emails asking representatives from Montblanc and Aurora about the sales. We’ll let you know what they say if anything. If you have some spare cash and thinking of buying an expensive pen then take a look at our article Are Expensive Pens Worth It. The answer is not quite as obvious as what you may think.

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Tony Bridges

As a seasoned journalist and freelance writer, I've spent over three decades telling stories and exploring the world through the written word. With a passion for writing instruments, I found my niche at The Pen Vibe, a blog that shares our collective fascination with pens, pencils, and other tools that have shaped the art of writing.

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