Tassie vs. Finial -- how do they relate?

[Paul-in-SF]

In fountain pen descriptions, both terms are used for the same part of the pen, i.e. the usually decorative top end of a cap. Finial seems to be the more generic term that could be used for any type of decorative piece in that position. My real question, I guess, is what makes a finial a tassie? Is it when it's made of metal (à la the metal Parker 75s), or if it holds something, like a Parker 51's jewel (I think the original meaning of tassie is a small pie or tart, so that sort of fits)? Do you have a personal rule of thumb when you use one term or the other? 

 

This is more-or-less just curiosity for me, another arcane term of art in the fountain pen world that I have repeatedly stumbled across and not completely understood. 

[A Smug Dill]

1 minute ago, Paul-in-SF said:

Do you have a personal rule of thumb when you use one term or the other?

 

My personal rule of thumb is to always refer to it as a cap finial (as opposed to the barrel finial or end finial). I have never even heard of a tassie, other than it being the Australian nickname for Tasmania.

[Olya]

One explanation I read here a while ago was in relation to the Parker 75.

It said the word tassie stems from the French "la tasse", i.e. "cup".

 

The 75 tassies tend to have indentations, like a cup has...

 

If that is accurate, then I suppose it depends on a finial's shape, in that case every tassie is a finial, but not every finial is a tassie.

[Ron Z]

Tassie's on the tush, finial on the top, though on pens like the Skyline I refer to them as a derby.

[Karmachanic]

 

https://parker75.com//Reference/Tassies/Tassies.htm

[mizgeorge]

The origin is, from memory, Arabic tassah (bowl), which became the French tasse (cup) with tassie itself being used in Scotland for a small cup or glass.

 

I always find it slightly odd to see it used to describe a convex finial, but it does seem to have been coined for pen use by Parker, who perhaps weren't that worried about etymology.

 

Derby's an English city or an American bowler hat

[Karmachanic]

11 minutes ago, mizgeorge said:

Derby's an English city

 

Which is pronounced Darby, because English.