Montblanc's latest writing instrument pays homage to Hannibal Barca. One of the greatest military generals in history, Barca is best-known for crossing the Alps in 218BC, with more than 50,000 infantry, 9,000 cavalry and 37 African elephants, to attack Rome. He chose this treacherous route as the Romans dominated the seas, making a maritime voyage impossible. The forepart of the fountain pen is engraved with the route he took from Carthage to Rome.
Only one will ever be made. Montblanc's newest, most exclusive piece is, says its maker, "a feat of stone-setting precision" and is positively dripping with diamonds, set in white gold. These contrast with a full pavé of glittering blue sapphires, and the pen is also embellished with rows of carre-cut individual diamonds.
The pen's solid gold nib is decorated with a special design that represents the Carthaginian deity – Ba'al Hammon. It is also adorned with two brilliant cut diamonds and, crowning the fountain pen, a magnificent 6.03- carat. DFL diamond. A blue sapphire cabochon from Sri Lanka shines at the base of the writing instrument's cone.
The elephant trunk clip is one of the most sophisticated ever conceived by Montblanc. All of the stones set on the clip, and the elephant head of the cap, have been individually cut and set by hand, a process requiring many months of meticulous craftsmanship.
The clip's unusual shape presented its own set of challenges. Montblanc's atelier developed what is known as an "external tensioned clip" in order to make possible the complex design and aesthetics of the elephant's elongated trunk. It needed to do this while creating the smoothest possible clip function.
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