In discussion with Classic, there appears to be a definite preference for rose gold, which surprises me. I guess I am traditional but I prefer the vermeil in normal gold tones and could live with sterling, but the rose colour, although unusual, doesn't, so far, call out to me.

Just a straw poll - if you were going to lash out on one of these big boys, would you be ordering in sterling, yellow gold vermeil, or rose gold vermeil (anyone who says he'd be getting a solid 18K is just showing off).

I would prefer the gold vermeil to be a natural gold. I also like the sterling silver.

I am in agreement with you.

I am trying to figure out what combination would be best. One can get the pen 'furniture' in any of the three finishes, and the nibs in one colour (any of the three) or duotone.

I am wavering between gold vermeil with gold nib and furniture, and the more traditional sterling with duotone gold and silver nib, and yellow gold clip (like the CP series)

Not really my cup of tea-but I would go with the silver...

I agree about the vermeil. The rose gold is gold with the addition of copper, to make it more red or 'rose'. I prefer normal yellow gold as it's more natural looking.

For a giant pen like this one the pure silver seems to have something out of place. Silver with gold trim looks much better on this pen, especially as the nib is mostly yellow gold.

Having said all that, if I had the money I would go for the solid gold!

A tough decision. For this pen, I think the yellow vermeil looks most impressive. I tend to find that white silver pens look better if they are smaller - just my opinion.

If you do go for the white silver, then gold furniture is a must in my view.

I have seen rose gold in combination with yellow and white gold used to decorate pocket watches and it has a nice look. Alone it does nothing for me. However, as some one has already posted, if I could afford it I would prefer solid 18K gold for it's mellow look.