Two new special edition colors of the David Oscarson Les Quatre Couleurs (The Four Colors or The Four Suits) have been made exclusively for Airline International by David Oscarson and are limited to only 8 pieces of each color for the entire world. The two new colors, Canary Yellow and Purple Reign, are an addition to the standard four, white, gray, blue, and black, of which only 88 are available of each.
The Les Quatre Couleurs is a fine writing instrument that incorporates multiple levels of guilloché engraving and a combination of translucent and opaque hard enamel. While origins of playing cards can be traced to China, India, and Persia as early as the 7th century, it wasn’t until the 14th century that they were introduced to Europe.
The four suits now used in most of the world – Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs – originated in France about 1480. The Spade represents nobility and aristocracy; the Heart represents the Church and Clergy; the Diamond represents merchants and the wealthy, and the Club represents peasantry with its reference to the clover, the food of swine.
David Oscarson’s unique filling system accommodates a cartridge, converter or eyedropper fill; a series of seals and “O” rings prevents the ink from leaving the chamber at any point. A roller ball version of each Oscarson Collection piece is also available.
Engineered in Heidelberg, Germany, the 18-karat gold nib is unsurpassed in quality and form. Coupled with an ebonite feeder, each nib is plated with rhodium and tipped with iridium to ensure durability in fine, medium and broad sizes.
The David Oscarson Les Quatre Couleurs in Canary Yellow and Purple Reign are available exclusively from Airline International for $5400 for the fountain pen and $5200 for the rollerball.
I had the opportunity to meet David Oscarson and handle some of his pens while at the 2012 LA Pen Show. He was an incredibly nice, down-to-earth gentleman who was more than willing to discuss pens with not only us, but anyone interested enough to ask him about his creations. His pens with the translucent hard enamel over guilloché engraving are some of the most beautiful, and expensive, pens I’ve seen.
