Welcome Spring! The snow at last has melted and new pens are sprouting daily! For those of you who could attend our annual Spring Pen Fair in Baltimore, thanks for coming, and for those who couldn’t, you gotta make it next year. We all had a fantastic time, and were able to introduce some new products. The show stoppers included Tibaldi’s beautiful new Da Vinci Code pen, and Visconti’s Divine Proportion, both of which are decidedly in the running for pen of the year.

We also introduced Lalex watches at the Baltimore show. Under the management team of Ryan Davidson and Michel Perchin, we have introduced a new collection of watches which will be on our website next week. Take a look. It’s a great watch for a great price. Oh, and make sure to take a peek at Aurora’s new mini sole fountain pen, ballpoint, rollerball and pencil. A long time customer of ours picked up one for his wife at the show, a perfect gift to compensate her while he disappeared for the two day event. What a great way to earn a fantastic new limited edition pen. Hope she liked it Kareem! Capping off the show, David Oscarson, as always the best dressed man in the room, didn’t let any one down in displaying his fabulous collection of hand crafted and enameled pens. David teased us with talk of a new pen, which will be available in about a month’s time. Keep an eye out for it, because it’s sure to be eye-popping.

Looking ahead, this weekend is the Chicago pen show, which unfortunately I will not be able to attend. However, our fearless Pen Guru Jim will be there, so please stop by and say hello. Also, don’t miss the new section in our newsletter “In Ink” which will feature interviews with various industry representatives, executives, and of course customers. This month, we sat down with David MacDougall of Waterford Pens. Waterford makes a wonderful gift pen line, perfect for Mother’s Day (don’t forget) and graduation gifts. Also for those getting married this Spring, a Waterford pen makes a great wedding party present.

On a final note, I would like to announce that Ken Jones has joined forces with Visconti. Ken has been with us for nearly ten years, and he’ll certainly be missed. It’s odd to think that one of the industry’s preeminent salespeople will now only be able to sell one brand. How’s he gonna contain himself?! Seriously, all the best Ken, we wish you continued success.

Feature of the Month

To help launch Ken’s new career, I will be selecting Visconti’s Divine Proportion as our Feature of the Month. This spectacular celluloid pen, fashioned to look like burl wood, possess a warmth and feel you wouldn’t believe. Graced with sterling silver spiral ribbons running the length of the pen, the Divine Proportion comes with the most innovative filling system yet to hit the market. With only 1,618 pens worldwide, of which Ken will sell 1,600 (haha) this beauty is destined to become a true collectors piece.

Bert

The Pick for May is the new Monteverde Mega Ink Ball! The Rollerball that fills from a bottle!

This is the first Rollerball that fills using either a standard European ink cartridge or converter. Pen comes with four replacement tips.

This is a "Mega" pen with a boldness in size that is sure to be the next favorite.

Please see the full line of Monteverde on our website. Jerry Greenberg incorporates color, design and function into a truly remarkable collection of pens. Enjoy free UPS Ground shipping on the Mega Ink Ball through May 31,2006!

We have great pricing on Benchmade Apparations, Visconti Skeletons and more!

Benchmade Apparation 670
Only $99.95!







Benchmade Apparation 670s
Only $99.95!





Visconti Skeleton Fountain Pen in black or orange
Only $225.00!





Visconti Skeleton Rollerball in orange
Only $180.00!





Pelikan Amber M250 Fountain Pen
Only $69.95!





Pelikan M400 Honey
Only $112.50!


At 50% off these great pens won't last long!

Don't forget Mom on Mother's Day!

Bert's Mother is not only a member of Bert's family, but she is also a 20 year member of the Bertram's Inkwell family. Hildegard has worked at our White Flint location since we opened. We asked our resident Mother what she wanted for Mother's Day. Ms. Oser picked the Waterman Exception Ballpoint as her favorite.

We are offering this ballpoint for just $185! What an awesome gift for Mom!

David MacDougall of Hampton-Haddon Marketing a representative of Waterford pens stopped in our Baltimore store today. We took this opportunity to ask David a few questions about this world-famous brand.

What can you tell us about Waterford?
It is one of the most recognized gift brands today. Waterford wanted to leverage their brand into other areas and writing instruments was a natural extension of the brand, making them great gifts. Hint Hint - Mother's Day and Graduation.

How do these writing instruments reflect the heritage and craftmanship Waterford is known for?
We incorporate crystal cut patterns into the elements of the pens. We borrowed many of the well-known names from Waterford's stemware collection for our line of writing instruments. These include Lismore, Kilbarry, and alana.

What is coming in the Waterford pen line?
We are curently developing a new collection, Pallace, These stunning writing instruments feature a translucent crystal blue body with sterling accents. Also comming soon is the Kilbarry II that will feature a cut piece of Waterford crystal in the top of the pen.

What kinds of pens that Waterford makes?
We make a variety of ballpoints, rollerballs and fountain pens throughout six collections: Kilbarry, Lismore, Glendalough, Cavendish and Alana.

What price ranges are pens?
Starting at $75.00 and going up to $325 Also offered is the Marquis collection of pens that is more moderately priced ranging form $22 to $55.

Jim is our resident pen guru. Jim is a "fountain" of knowledge when it comes to all things pens!

What is the perfect pen?

The perfect pen: I know I sound like a heretic in saying this but the perfect daily user for me is a Parker 75 cap activated Ball Pen. I like the light weight the ease of getting the point out with just a click .I find this a perfect combination of speed and balance plus for the most part I won't burst into tears if I loose it. I use the Itoya Gel Refill in the .07 mm that adds to the ease of smooth wet writing.Some of my other favorite Ball Points are the lamy 2000's especially in the woods, the Aurora Style and for a change of pace the Michael's fat boy.In my line of work I am usually holding a bag with one hand and hopefully a sales check in the other so a quick easy to use Ball Point is of the utmost importance.

Next month I will talk about my favorite Fountain Pen.