Exclusive Dragon Straw Marquetry ballpoint pen as a gift

PRODUCT HISTORY

Caran d’Ache presents a limited edition Dragon collection crafted with a special decorative technique – inlay. This is a tribute to art and craftsmanship excellence that Caran d’Ache aims to preserve. This time, it pays homage to an ancient art blending tradition and creativity: straw inlay.

The limited Dragon collection, featuring a carved dragon adorned with precious gold inspired by Jean-Philippe Kalonjie's design, is a unique piece limited to only 20 units, created using ancestral processes and exceptional materials: straw inlay, Chinese lacquer, and 18-karat gold.

Exceptional in every aspect and highlighted by an engraved dragon scale motif, the limited straw inlay collection Dragon is a work of art that takes lovers of writing jewelry and collectors on a journey to the Far East.

COLLABORATION WITH THE RENOWNED CRAFTSMAN AGNÈS PAUL-DEPASSE

To create this masterpiece, Caran d’Ache turned to Agnès Paul-Depasse. Originally a furniture conservator, she is now renowned for straw inlay. She is one of the few female artisans mastering this technique, especially on small-scale and cylindrical objects, which has enabled her to craft delicate pieces for the luxury watch industry and now also for Caran d’Ache. An original challenge that makes Agnès Paul-Depasse’s work even more impressive and showcases the complexity of this art form.

ORIGINAL KNOW-HOW OF CARAN D’ACHE STRAW INLAY

Straw inlay, similar to wood inlay, re-emerged during the lavish Art Deco period and is distinguished by the natural light reflecting off plant fibers.
Currently, hand-harvested rye straw is supplied worldwide by a single producer based in Burgundy, France, which is an undeniable proof of its rarity. The individual straw pieces are then hot-dyed over several hours in colorful baths. Each piece differs from the others, giving each item a unique appearance.

DEMANDING AND HUMBLE CRAFTSMANSHIP

This demanding and precise art requires a gentle touch and a significant investment of time. From fiber selection to processing, every stage is done manually. Producing the limited collection, with nearly a hundred scales applied, gives the whimsical creation a remarkable iridescence and involves five key steps:

• cutting and flattening straw with a folding tool made from bovine bone
• gluing and pressing fibers onto a stretched substrate to achieve a smooth, glossy finish
• cutting a template for each scale, numbered according to Caran d’Ache’s design
• assembling and cutting each template on rye straw
• applying and gluing individual scales onto the writing instrument

Thanks to its know-how and skills, the Swiss company creates Fine Writing masterpieces that combine aesthetics, comfort, and noble materials.

For this limited edition, the company utilized its entire expertise in engraving to recreate the silhouette of the dragon and the scale motif on the clip and nib. As one of the few European companies mastering the ancient Chinese lacquer art, Caran d’Ache processed this precious material made from Chinese lacquer tree sap (Rhus verniciflua), applying multiple layers to these exceptional pieces. Enriched with this unique knowledge, the writing instruments are highly valued worldwide for their durability, gloss, and delicacy.

By combining gold, Chinese lacquer, and straw inlay, this limited collection is both stylish and extravagant, reflecting the nature of the fantastical creature it embodies.