These handmade writing instruments of uncommon style, quality, and beauty make a tender, expressive line. Because they do not need to be dipped frequently, they are much better suited to drawing than metal-tipped pens are. One dip will also keep you writing for a surprisingly long time—at least several sentences and often half a page or more.

Making these pens involves first designing and fusing colored strips of glass, then gathering and pulling barrel and nib cane, fashioning the pens one by one in a torch flame, annealing them, and, finally, delicately wet-sanding each nib by hand.

Each pen comes packaged in a velvet case with a scroll that explains how to use and care for it. Fountain pen ink-available in bottles at art and office supply stores-works beautifully with these pens, and rinses off in water.