Extra Otto Sapphirus

Limited Edition | Edizioni

A prestige silhouette ascends to a higher level with an ancient material. The Pharaohs once relied on it for knowledge, intuition and magic. Now, divine powers meet heavenly performance in the limited-edition #extraottosapphirus.

Thousands of years before the renaissance painters coveted its rare pigment, the ancient Egyptians believed objects made from lapis lazuli were fragments of the goddess Isis' soul.

For them, the semi-precious stone's starry, deep-blue finish symbolised the heavens: jewellery and objects were made to accompany kings and queens into the afterlife. Its scarcity and intense colour made it a precursor to the modern sapphire.

A new Edizioni creation brings this mystical substance to writing via a pen with a legend of its own. The Extra Otto combines the sublime writing credentials of the Extra 1930 with an octagonal profile first produced in Bassano del Grappa in 1915. Possessing a faceted form that rests as elegantly in the light as in the hand, our designers were set the task of exploring its full potential as a writing jewel.

Much more than wistful ambition was needed to creating the first #montegrappa carved from stone. Mastery of modern jewelcraft is required to apply lapis lazuli to the Extra Otto's complex shape. The exotic material is diamond-cut into a wafer- thin shell, then strengthened with a carbon-fibre core before polishing: a time-intensive process developed for a perfect trade-off of durability and weight.

As a member of the Extra family of writing instruments, this fountain pen-only edition is fitted with the world's premier writing unit: an 18K rose gold nib paired with an ebonite feeder is serviced by the precision mechanics of patented #montegrappa piston-filling.

But none of this knowledge is essential to enjoying the material that defines the #extraottosapphirus. Its smooth, starry surface and ultramarine hue will entrance you, as it once did Tutankhamun.

Rose gold-plated sterling silver trims depict the Eye of Horus and the sacred scarab in tribute to lapis lazuli's supernatural powers. Limited production numbers reference the 192 spells written by Egyptian scribes for navigating the next life as a king.