The
latest LE from OMAS is a real show stopper. Well, let's say it might
have been a real show stopper, if the only two to make it to the Chicago
show had remained unsold for any length of time! As it was, they disappeared
right off the dealer's table almost as soon as they were unpacked.
For good reason.... The Venice Carnivale is a wonderful pen, bright white and crisp black, with matte finish gold trim. OMAS has managed to accomplish what every maker of a limited edition attempts, to completely capture the spirit of the subject matter. In this case, that subject matter is the Carnival of Venice.
So, with that as subject matter, you probably wouldn't expect the OMAS Carnivale to be a staid, boring pen. Not to disappoint, OMAS came up with a design that has more than enough life to keep things interesting visually.
The
pen itself is white, it looks like a lacquer finish, with a jet black
design. The design consists of several swirling shapes, spaced across
both the cap and the barrel. The clip is shaped to resemble the rudder
of a gondola, putting the finishing touch on the pen's theme.
In what makes for some of the nicest metal trim I've seen on a recent pen, OMAS rendered the clip, cap and barrel ends, and the nib all in matte finish gold. This sets off very nicely against the glossy white of the cap and barrel. The cap top itself is an ornate shape, this is balanced by a simple gold colored piston knob at the barrel end.
The cap threads on, and the section is black. I might have preferred a white section, to match the barrel color, but the black goes well with the overall look of the pen, thanks to the use of black accents in the design.
The
Carnivale is a piston fill pen, as you might expect from an OMAS. The
nib is 18K gold, and as I mentioned, it's finished in a soft matte finish.
Very appealing. In fact, I can think of a few other modern pens that would
probably benefit from this treatment of the metal trim!
The nib seems to be the standard OMAS 18K nib. In other words, check before you buy, but the sample we looked at seemed smooth enough. No flex to it, but a nice feel on paper. The feed is ebonite, which should make for somewhat more reliable ink flow in use.
"In use"? Well, yeah. This OMAS should make a very usable LE! It's not too big, not too small, and while not exactly a shy, quiet pen, it's not overdone to the point of being an embarrassment, either. It's a classy sort of flashy, if that description makes any sense at all.
What
probably won't get any use though, is the matching carnival mask
that accompanies each pen! The mask is finished a design to match the
pen, and the pair are packaged in a large display box. It's certainly
an interesting package, if not exactly compact.
Production is limited to 1458 pieces, with a list price of around $800 from what I've been able to find out. They are not yet widely available, as I mentioned, there were only two at the Chicago show. By the time you read this, however, the supply should be picking up.
Whether you are into masks, Venice, the celebration of Carnival, or just like something a bit out of the ordinary in your pen, the OMAS Venice Carnivale is well worth a look. Go ahead.... Take a walk on the mildly wild side.
I dare you!