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omasfan

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As I have reviewed the Paragon before in this section (the saffron blue actually), I will not regurgitate all what I wrote then. Instead this review will rather focus on the way the different celluloids look to me. If you want to read the Paragon review that focuses rather on the pen than the material, click here!

 

All these colors are incredibly deep and rich. Each and every one of them is beautiful in its own ways.

 

Here is a short review of the different colors with the official name they bear:

 

1. Pearl Grey: Incredibly rich and undervalued in its beauty. It's hard to photograph. Longish swirls of pearlescent swirls suffuse the material. As opposed to the pearlescent flakes in the royale blue, the scarlet, and the saft green, these are more spirally formed currents of pearlescence.

 

2. Scarlet red. A deep and subdued red, a little like burgundy. However, when light hits the pen, it turns into glowing embers.

 

3. royale blue. Probably the best known and most frequent color of all. I love its deep blue

 

4. Saft Green. Very olive-like and yet not boring at all. I have to think of the color of autumn leaves just before they start losing their greenness. This celluloid is a bit lighter than Omas' Autumn Green (used e.g. in the Ogiva).

 

5. The Arco Brown. This is probably Omas' signature color, and still in production with the new Paragon series. It looks like wood polished to the highest degree of shine. It is almost a surreal beautification of wood. I'd argue that wood could never be so rich in shades and tone. The contours of the wood pattern are extremely sharp.

 

6. The Arco Green. Just like the Arco Brown but very cool. Three main shades are visible: a dark green (almost black), a silverish dusty powderlike pattern, and specks of forest green colors. This is a great variation of the standard Brown Arco and it is also very catching because you won't see those all too often.

 

7. Saffron Blue. I've already discussed this color in my Paragon review. Of all the seven standard celluloid colors it is the most unusual one. My girlfriend said it looked like vomit, I think it looks really beautiful, like some sort of bizarre marble. As you can see from our diametrical viewpoints, it was indeed Omas' most controversial celluloid color.

 

All these pens look very subdued in the dark. In low light, many of the them appear to be almost black. If there is lighting they change dramatically and betray their true richness. I love that the celluloid is able to produce so many different tones depending on the light.

The Arcos (the green and the brown one) are almost like glass. Their surface is so shiny, and the Arco facets are like pieces of incredibly delicate metal foils cut in a wood-grain pattern. Mind you, there is no metal in there. It is all nitrocellulose. All colors take you in as you will always discover a new detail in the shading or the pearlescent flakes or swirls.

 

I love this set and each of these pens is in my regular rotation. They don't come cheap but I think they are worth every penny that I paid for them. Five of them have fine nibs, one has a medium nib, and one has a debbified medium stub.

 

 

I also got an Omas Galileo Galilei, which is a Paragon in the wild celluloid pattern (black celluloid with veins of white pervading it). The pen's nib needs to be reset as the little sheath that holds the nib and feed in place was broken and came out in crumbles. If it comes back from its cure with John Mottishaw, I'll post better pics. This celluloid is beautiful and looks dramatic. The choice of colors is simple: black and white (those nitpickers and sticklers for precision will of course point out that black and white are not colors in the truest sense of the word). Anyway, this simplicity of color choice is coupled with the breath-taking pattern: it looks like lodes of white gold embedded in charcoal (if this makes any sense).

 

The Paragon is by far my most favorite pen! Now I only need to get one in Titanium and the Extra Lucens! But for now my pen money is depleted and I shall abstain (at least for the time being!).

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Edited by dupontfan
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maybe I'm a purist but I like the look of the arco brown the most for the paragons, it seems to glow with an inner light-but then the eyes sees the galleleo and wow, that wild colour makes me gasp, the ways the colous flow and compliment each other, astounding, I hope it comes back to you in working condition, that is the one pen I am sure could be a temptation to me...

Lamy 2000-Lamy Vista-Visconti Van Gogh Maxi Tortoise Demonstrator-Pilot Vanishing Point Black Carbonesque-1947 Parker 51 Vacumatic Cedar Blue Double Jewel-Aurora Optima Black Chrome Cursive Italic-Waterman Hemisphere Metallic Blue-Sheaffer Targa-Conway Stewart CS475

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:crybaby:

 

My two favorites that i don't think I'll have: Arco Brown and Arco Green...the old style!

Very nice photos, it is a beautiful collection indeed.

Edited by alvarez57

sonia alvarez

 

fpn_1379481230__chinkinreduced.jpg

 

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Beautiful photos!!! And what delightful wallpaper pics too!!!!

 

I must go drool now :puddle: :puddle: :puddle: :puddle: :puddle: :puddle:

 

JD

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maybe I'm a purist but I like the look of the arco brown the most for the paragons, it seems to glow with an inner light-but then the eyes sees the galleleo and wow, that wild colour makes me gasp, the ways the colous flow and compliment each other, astounding, I hope it comes back to you in working condition, that is the one pen I am sure could be a temptation to me...

 

 

The Galileo is really stunning. It is simple and intricate at the same time. As I just learned yesterday, Malanguci (spelling???), the grandson of Simoni, the founder of OMAS, was inspired to create the wild celluloid in the early 1990s when he looked at some of the 1930s Lucens' cap patterns.

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They are all stunning in their own way. I would gladly put any one or all in my pocket.

 

What I find fascinating is how people go bid-crazy on Ebay whenever a saffron comes up for auction. It could be any Omas model, but saffron is like catnip for some people I guess.

MikeW

 

"In the land of fountain pens, the one with the sweetest nib reigns supreme!"

 

Check out the London Pen Club.

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Thanks for the great pics. Having fallen instantly under the spell of these wonderful pens with the acquisition of an "old style" Paragon Blue Royal (my presssssshussssss), I'm now eagerly awaiting the arrival of a new style Arco Milord. Thanks again for sharing.

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Gorgeous stuff, dupontfan. Everytime my desire for that Saffron Blue dies down, I see another picture of it and decide that I must have it. Beautiful collection, thanks for sharing. Best,

David

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Gorgeous stuff, dupontfan. Everytime my desire for that Saffron Blue dies down, I see another picture of it and decide that I must have it. Beautiful collection, thanks for sharing. Best,

David

 

Yeah, that happened to me, too. I always said to myself I don't need the saffron. But it kept haunting me until I finally fell. I presage that one year from now you will have fallen for one, too! :roflmho: At first, I just wanted to have the Arco Brown, but then I found myself unable to stop.... It's such disastrous a hobby, to say the least.

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I have a Mottishaw double broad italic cursive new Milord Bronze Arco. I have the opportunity to purchase a new old stock Paragon bronze Arco. They look very similar. Someone convince me to purchase the old stock or not. It's an internal battle.

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Are the Saft Green and Scarlet the special editions with the gold-white-gold color scheme for the cap bands (like the Galileo)? Does the Saft Green have Moresi imprints or is it the Novelli version. What imprints does the Scarlet have?

 

I take it that the Blue and Grey are in hi-tech trim. I can't quite make out the trim on the Arco.

 

By the way, there are two versions of the modern Pearl Grey, the later one being brighter or so I've heard. I've never held them together at the same time. If that's so, it's similar to how the vintage versions were as well. There was a brighter silver pearl pen in the late 1940s/1950s that followed the original Grey Pearl.

 

 

the grandson of Simoni, the founder of OMAS, was inspired to create the wild celluloid in the early 1990s when he looked at some of the 1930s Lucens' cap patterns.

 

That would be Gianluca Malaguti and yes, all of the 557-style celluloids are based on vintage celluloid designs.

 

The Saffron Blue, for instance, was one of a pair of bronze patterns that Omas used. Recall that many pen makers in those days were making bronze variations like blue & bronze (Waterman Turquoise Patrician or Chilton 3x), green & bronze (Wahl Brazilian Green) or black & bronze pens. When Omas stepped up to their mixing bowl, they distinguished themselves by swirling the blue and bronze portions, creating the somewhat odd look that some people find unpleasant. Omas also had a green & bronze variation of this.

 

Regarding the "Wild" pattern, after Omas used that for the Galileo in 1993, they used it again in 1999 for the Urbano VIII. Pope Urbano, was I believe, the Pope at the time that Galileo was forced to recant, so there's some symmetry there. The Galileo was the first time that they used the gold-white-gold color scheme on the cap bands which your Saft Green and Scarlet seem to have.

 

The Arco Green doesn't really have an exact counterpart among its vintage brethren. If you've seen the Montblanc Platinum pens, it's based on that celluloid. That celluloid was famously made by Bayer in Germany so it's possible that Montblanc used it before Omas got its hands on it. The modern pens may have gotten their celluloid from Mazzucchelli which I've heard no longer makes them. New stock probably comes from China.

 

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Hi Jeff! Wow, you are very knowledgeable about OMAS pens. Very nice that you chime in.

You are right in that the saft green and the scarlet are in indeed the special editions with the gold-white-gold scheme. The saft green is the Novelli pen. The scarlet came from John Mottishaw. The rest of the pens are in high-tech except for the Arco Green and the Saffron Blue. The high-tech is my preferred trim color as it makes the pens really stand out.

 

I don't know what version my pearl grey is. Since it doesn't have a date code, it must be very late production (early 2000s?). There is lots of grey pearlescence in there, so it might be the brighter one but I am not absolutely sure.

 

I've seen the Urbano (which is identical to the Galileo except for the trim). Very hard to find indeed.

 

Your remarks on the variations of bronze shades are also very interesting, and it would make sense with the Saffron Blue and the gestation of its design.

 

I don't know the color of the MB Platinum that resembles/precedes the OMAS Arco Green color, but I would love to see a picture.

 

Please keep engaged in OMAS discussions on FPN as you seem to be someone one could learn a lot from. I am always eager to learn more about the history of OMAS.

 

Sincerely, Wolfgang

 

Are the Saft Green and Scarlet the special editions with the gold-white-gold color scheme for the cap bands (like the Galileo)? Does the Saft Green have Moresi imprints or is it the Novelli version. What imprints does the Scarlet have?

 

I take it that the Blue and Grey are in hi-tech trim. I can't quite make out the trim on the Arco.

 

By the way, there are two versions of the modern Pearl Grey, the later one being brighter or so I've heard. I've never held them together at the same time. If that's so, it's similar to how the vintage versions were as well. There was a brighter silver pearl pen in the late 1940s/1950s that followed the original Grey Pearl.

 

 

the grandson of Simoni, the founder of OMAS, was inspired to create the wild celluloid in the early 1990s when he looked at some of the 1930s Lucens' cap patterns.

 

That would be Gianluca Malaguti and yes, all of the 557-style celluloids are based on vintage celluloid designs.

 

The Saffron Blue, for instance, was one of a pair of bronze patterns that Omas used. Recall that many pen makers in those days were making bronze variations like blue & bronze (Waterman Turquoise Patrician or Chilton 3x), green & bronze (Wahl Brazilian Green) or black & bronze pens. When Omas stepped up to their mixing bowl, they distinguished themselves by swirling the blue and bronze portions, creating the somewhat odd look that some people find unpleasant. Omas also had a green & bronze variation of this.

 

Regarding the "Wild" pattern, after Omas used that for the Galileo in 1993, they used it again in 1999 for the Urbano VIII. Pope Urbano, was I believe, the Pope at the time that Galileo was forced to recant, so there's some symmetry there. The Galileo was the first time that they used the gold-white-gold color scheme on the cap bands which your Saft Green and Scarlet seem to have.

 

The Arco Green doesn't really have an exact counterpart among its vintage brethren. If you've seen the Montblanc Platinum pens, it's based on that celluloid. That celluloid was famously made by Bayer in Germany so it's possible that Montblanc used it before Omas got its hands on it. The modern pens may have gotten their celluloid from Mazzucchelli which I've heard no longer makes them. New stock probably comes from China.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I agree with Wolfgang regarding Jff L's comments. Has anyone tried to have an Omas forum? Discussion of these pens are very, very frequent.

Thanks again for the posting and the knowledge shared in this thread. :)

sonia alvarez

 

fpn_1379481230__chinkinreduced.jpg

 

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I'm extremely cross with you, Wolfgang :angry:

 

I've just spoiled my keyboard due to my continous drooling :puddle: after looking at your delicious collection of celluloid Paragons. I'm posting this now from my splash-proof laptop :happyberet:

 

Now excuse me while I inject myself with some atropine :eureka:

 

 

 

Shahrin :bunny01:

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