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Posted 13 April 2009 - 01:06 PM
(Since it has been so long since I shared Nakaya eyecandy, I have used larger-than-normal photos. Please tell me if you would prefer smaller images or thumbnails!)
Introduction
When it came time to order my third Nakaya Piccolo, I felt the need for something different, and so decided upon the delicately carved Chin-kin technique. Since I've already reviewed the Piccolo twice (here and here), this review will focus more upon the finish of my latest Japanese beauty, rather than the model characteristics.
The Color
The first time I saw photos of the unpolished Shu (red) lacquer finish, I was intrigued. Here was a satin-finish lacquer, very obviously still a bright red, but nonetheless subtle and understated - I had to have it. Plus, red is my favourite color after olive green.
The above image shows my Piccolo in everyday light, and then with the non-diffused light from my camera flash.
The Carving
Chin-kin is a beautiful carving technique which you can learn much about here. Essentially, a design is carved into the the cured base lacquer, and then the carved line work is accented with gold (my choice), silver, or platinum powders. Later, colored powders are also added. (Chin-koku / Chinkoku is the name given to this technique when fine black (koku) charcoal is embedded in the linework.)
I chose a traditional design which depicts a palmet pattern - elongated leaves bending left and right with long, curled stems. I was very particular about the hues when choosing the colored powders - I did not want any cool colors at all, nothing dark and no blue or purple. I wanted only colors from a rich, warm and bright palette which would set off the Shu base.
The leaves featuring colored powder inlay all have different line decoration. The colored powders which have been used are iridescent, which gives a very pretty effect. Several thumbnails showing the leaves are linked below. Do click to open the large, detailed version!
The combination of Chin-kin linework on the unpolished Shu base is stunning! I did not want a glossy lacquered surface with this kind of linework, as it was too much of a contrast for my liking. Besides, I have pens with glossy urushi surfaces of sheer perfection™ - so I wondered what the unpolished surface felt like, and exactly how unpolished was unpolished anyway?
The finish is certainly less glossy than the finish of my Kuro-tame and Heki-tame pens, but you can still see a shine to the surface. I showed this Piccolo to a friend who is not interested in pens, and was initially surprised when they thought that it was a vintage carved pen, several decades old. Upon further reflection, I think that the combination of color and finish used does indeed give this Piccolo a soft and "worn" appearance.
Sometimes I cannot put this pen down. My fingertips have a fascination with rubbing the perfect surface of my urushi pens normally, and the carved surface of this Piccolo is no less inviting.
The Nib
The Nakaya SEF (Super Extra Fine) is equivalent to a Needlepoint, and thus just right for my tiny handwriting. The regular 14K yellow gold nib would not have suited the coloring of this pen, and the two-tone nib would not have been much better. Luckily, Nakaya offers a 14K nib in the two-tone size and style with rose (pink) gold plating. Rose gold was the perfect complement to the colored powders I had chosen.
Special Order Process
As always, Yoko was a delight to deal with! After four months the pen was ready, but I elected to wait until Nakaya's new nib design was available with rose gold plating, which brought the process out to six months or so.
Here is my pen shown on the Nakaya website: Chinkin Palmet, Shu with Colored Powders.
Final Thoughts
The Chin-kin technique is just wonderful. The possibilities of this technique have already led me to create several new designs for future consideration, and I am positive another carved pen will soon join this one in my collection.
Choosing an ink for this Piccolo was difficult. I usually match the body of the pen to the ink, or choose an ink color which is a complementary opposite to the body color. Eventually I decided that it had to be red all the way, and so Rohrer & Klingner's Morinda was selected - and like the pen, it was perfect.
I hope you have enjoyed this review.
~Laura
