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*** Carnelian Platinum 3776 Century SF Nib *** ~ In March, 2018 a friend of many decades expressed an interest in fountain pens and handwriting. A Japanese-American whose family, like mine, lived in Hawai’i, we’d talked about surfing, shared meals, visited Paris together, and joked about life. Fountain pens had never been a topic, although he was aware of my interest in pens, inks and paper. After due consideration, he settled on a Platinum 3776 Century Bourgogne with a Music Nib. As his pen consistently performed well, he gently teased me about someday welcoming a Platinum to my writing desk. In 2019 a pair of Pilot Metropolitan (Green Marble and Violet Leopard) pens, a Pilot Prera (Lime Green) and a Sailor Shikiori Hisakata Uchimizu pen all became available for daily sketching or handwriting. In the local Eslite Spectrum Writing Boutique at the MixC World shopping mall I saw Platinum 3776 Century pens for the first time. In October, 2019 I read a post in the FPN’s The Mall announcing a North American Exclusive from Platinum — A Carnelian 3776 Century. My interest was immediate, not only because of my interest in a 3776 Century, but because of the Carnelian color. As a young teenager in the mid-1960s I accompanied my family on several day trips to secluded locations in southwestern Washington State. We were seeking carnelian agates washed down chilly streams near Chehalis, Centralia and Mt. St. Helens. Those experiences, as well as reading mentions of carnelian in the Bible, resulted in an awareness and appreciation which might otherwise have been absent. As the Carnelian Platinum 3776 Century was offered as a North American Exclusive, it seemed that there would be no practical means of ordering one. An entirely separate matter was my interest in KWZ Grapefruit ink. Where I work and live KWZ inks aren’t generally available. However, by chance, a pen and ink dealer in neighboring Hong Kong came to my attention, offering KWZ inks, among others. During the process of ordering, I glanced at the fountain pens listed. To my surprise a single Carnelian Platinum 3776 Century was on offer. The KWZ Grapefruit ink and the Carnelian Platinum 3776 Century fountain pen were ordered, the latter with a Soft Fine (SF) nib. The SF nib was selected as it seemed like a useful contrast to other nibs on my fountain pens. I also liked the notion of ‘SF’ on a nib, as my childhood family physician was a well-known science fiction author and one of my friends is a highly respected science fiction author. Below is an image set showing the arrival, opening, and first look at the Grapefruit ink and the Carnelian 3776 Century pen. Both ink and pen are outstanding. They set a high bar for satisfaction in 2020 fountain pen sketching and handwriting. Although I don’t match pens and inks, by chance the Grapefruit underscores the bright hue of the Carnelian 3776 Century. The SF nib provides exceptionally sensitive feedback from the paper surface. It’s ideal for margin notes where writing space is at a premium. There’s no scratchiness, no skipping, no difficulty in commencing ink flow. Last month I received a Pelikan M205 Star Ruby BB nib with a Fritz Schimpf Italic Grind. Both the Carnelian and the Star Ruby are shades of red, with faint inclusions glittering in the resin. While not chatoyant, per se, the tiny sparkles in both pens are subtly attractive, not at all showy or distracting. For convenience, an image of the two two pens side-by-side is included below. I hope that this post will do justice to the attractive Carnelian Platinum 3776 Century fountain pen. Tom K. Shipping Box, As Received The Unveiling Two Wrapped Items Ink Box KWZ Grapefruit Bubble-wrap Outer Box Outer and Inner Box Within a Plastic Shroud From Within the Presentation Box Converter With Pen Components Platinum Carnelian 3776 Century SF Platinum Carnelian SF Nib