Are Sonnet steel nibs a silver color? Or are they plated a gold color? The reason I'm asking is I own a couple with no gold mark whereas one I have is marked 14k. Yet all are gold colored. I know this is not much to go on, I don't have the pens in front of me right now.

I only have one Sonnet with what I think is a steel nib, and it is gold plated -- no "K" marking on it, whereas all the others do have either a 14K or an 18K stamped on the nib. Don't know if that is universally true, though. And I can't swear to the unmarked Sonnet being real -- it was bought from a member here, whereas all the others were bought from known good dealers (B&M, Levenger). (For clarification, I have no reason to mistrust the FPN member from whom I bought the unmarked Sonnet -- maybe both of us got fooled. If it's a fake, it's very very good, with none of the warning signs.)

The Sonnet Matte black and Stainless Steel models (The GT versions) comes with a yellow colored steel nib (donno if it is gold coated or what) whereas the Chrome, Matte Black and stainless steel (ST versions of the last 2) Sonnets come with polished steel nibs.

Sonnet gold nibs typically have "18 k 750" written on them. I do not know, nor have I heard of 14 K Sonnet nibs (but that does not necessarily mean they don't exist). Examples of Sonnets with the 18 K nibs are - Laque black, Pink Gold, Silver Cisele, Chiselled Tartan etc.

I've got a Laque Ocean Blue Sonnet with the Chrome Trim. The nib is marked "18K-750" and is silver in color. I'm not a Parker expert, but I believe mine is real. Box and everything looked right.

Got it on Ebay from MontgomeryStationery who has over 23000 feedbacks.

I guess I answered my own question nosing around the internet. Some steel nibs are gold plated, while others are silver colored. Of course the engraving is pretty spartan, just a couple of V's and the word PARKER. And ramshacklemann, it looks like you're right on the 14k, I don't see any being sold. Just 18 and 23k, mine is marked 18.

I've bought 2 or 3 from Montgomery myself off eBay Zarble44, I'm convinced they are OK because I've sent them out to be smoothed or have the feed adjusted or what have you and they either fooled the professionals, or said professionals were too kind to bring to my attention I sent in fake pens. I have one from Levanger I'm sure is 100% real and I can't tell it apart from the others, even under a glass.

Hey, I hijacked my own thread going on a tear about fakes, sorry.