Stipula Etruria Miele Selvatico: A Review

[fpupulin]

The Etruria family in the range of Stipula pens need no presentation. It has been the flagship of the brand, with several iconic models like the Ambra, Alter Ego, Volterra, and a number of more or less limited editions boldly inspired to it, mostly realized in unique and splendid celluloids

The Etruria I will discuss in this topic is quite a recent introduction in the series "Magnifica" made in marbled resins, which besides our vedette, the "Miele Selvatico" (Wild Honey), also includes "Sahara" (sand color), "Oronero" (black veined with gold), "Pirite" (marbled black, white and cream-yellow), "Avorio" (ivory), and "Onyx" (black). As with many other late models of Stipula pens, the available information on this series is scanty, as well as a general overview of the brand activity, which can well defined as somehow erratic.

The Etruria Magnificas are cartridge/converter pens, fitted with a steel nib. Available nib grades are Extra-fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, Double broad, Italic, Stub, and a particular steel version called v-Flex. The specimen I am reviewing here has a stub nib. I bought it online at Novelli in Rome.

The Miele Selvatico name made justice to the resin, a yellowish-amber, semi-transparent material filled with inclusions made by blotches and variously sized dots and points in brown, which really remind wild honey. On the other side, even though Stipula has a very famous celluloid entitled to Amber, the Miele Selvatico has a very ambery appearance, which I compared in several photographs with a true amber jewel that I gifted to my wife some times ago. Actually, it maybe that Miele Selvatico is more "amber" than the Etruria Amber itself, and I know if at least two reviews of this pen where the owner is convinced to have bought a true Etruria Ambra.

Unlike the flagship Etruria, the trim is not solid silver, but a white metal, in part matte and in part shiny. The main ring on the cap is decorated with the same fret of oak leaves obtained with the technique of the lost wax as the classic Etruria. The ring is comparatively bolder, as it has two external, small lips, glossy, which are absent in the original Etruria. Also the clip is classically Etruria, in white metal, and completely matte.

The pen comes into a rather small box made in cardboard cover with a red fabric, like the classic bookbinding material, enclosed by a red sleeve. The main box has the Stipula logo embossed in gold on the top. Inside the box is a simple pad in cream velvet, under which are found a small booklet with the pen instructions and a single cartridge. My pen included a converter within the body.

The first thing you will note about Miele Selvatico is that it is a very large pen. Capped, with a length of 152 mm, it is six millimeters longer than my big Montblanc Meisterstück 149 of the 2000s. It is also 11 mm longer than my two Etrurias Ambra, both in the piston filler and the cartridge versions.

Uncapped, Miele Selvatico is just two millimeters longer than the Ambra, and one millimeter shorter than the 149, but the latter has a very long and beautiful gold nib. At the widest point, the girth is 14 mm, only one millimeter more than both the Ambra and the 149. The section is marginally longer in the Miele, but it's hourglass shape is the same of the Ambra, and equally pleasant to hold.

The steel nib is quite stiff (more than my Lamy Al-stars and much more than my Kaweco Sport), with a pronounced variation between vertical and horizontal strokes, more similar to an italic than a true stub nib.

The vertical stroke is about 0.8 mm wide. For my test, I used it with a Noodler's #41 Brown ink, but it would probably behave better with a more lubricated ink.

All in all, I found the pen an interesting addition to my group. While I prefer the smaller size of the classic Etruria (which is by no means a small pen), in use the difference is negligible (I do not generally cap my pens) as the two bodies have almost an identical length and the sections are very similar in girth and shape.

The material is, in my opinion, quite gorgeous, and very amber-like, with a lot of transparency and depth. The white metal, even though not so "warm" as the true silver, is nonetheless beautiful to see, and its contrast between matte and glossy finishes gives it a classy touch.

The Miele's steel stub is a pretty calligraphic nib, in my opinion, and I would guess that it is a nib for a quite expert writer, and maybe less apt for the beginner. I would have preferred it a bit softer and responsive, but I can live with it...

As to price of the pen, this evaluation is certainly very much subjective. For a pen in plastic, cartridge filler, and with a steel nib, I find that 159 Euros (approx. 180 US$) is quite a steep price. But you are obviously paying for the Etruria pedigree and finish quality, which makes the price more palatable...

[farazqamar]

excellent review and excellent photography as always! I got one from Marco as well and love it although I would have much preferred a gold nib on it.

[jchch1950]

Marco is number 1 pen dealer.

[TheDutchGuy]

Wonderful review and photography! Thanks very much!

[Caeruleum]

Wonderful review and photography! Thanks very much!

+1

[georges zaslavsky]

nice review and thanks for sharing

[fpupulin]

Thank you, my pals, for your kind words of appreciation.

 

I agree that Stipula made great pens, and that Marco is an exquisite person to deal with.

 

Here is Miele Selvatico at work:

 

[Honeybadgers]

That resin is stunning.

 

I just had such an awful, nasty experience with the passaporto being so vile and cheap that I've been kinda turned off on their pens...

 

And their prices are rather steep.

[dms525]

Thanks for the review. As always, your photography is stunning.

 

I love the Stipula italic nibs in gold. I have tried a few of the steel italic nibs, and they aren't bad either. That resin is very handsome. From the photos, it has a celluloid look. I wonder if the feel in the hands could fool you though.

 

David

[fpupulin]

Well, a better ink for this splendid pen...

 

 

 

[TheVintagelife]

Excellent review. I picked this up on a whim as there was a hard to pass by discount on this- i paid the equivalent of about €110 (and European pens are usually much more expensive than the euro conversion price in India). I completely agree with your assessment of the pen in all respects (mine though is a fine nib). It is a beautiful colour, and though large, very comfortable in hand (mind that I prefer and use larger pens very regularly)

[TheDutchGuy]

My daughter will be in Rome next week and she’ll pick one up for me at Novelli’s. I’ve chosen an F nib, having seen from Goulet’s nib book that it writes a really fine line (which I like). I can always change it to a really soft 14k aftermarket nib. I adore the wild honey look of this pen and have high hopes that it will fit my hand like a glove.

 

Does anyone know where Stipula’s steel nibs come from and if they are the screw-in type (such as Jowo #6) or pressure fit?

 

EDIT: most manufacturers seem to price their larger gold nibs somewhere between €175 and €235, i.e. Pelikan, Leonardo, etc. Visconti seems to have recently ramped up their prices to a truly staggering €450 for a spare18k nib/collar assembly (source for these prices: Appelboom.com). From Novelli’s website, it seems that Stipula is far from cheap with their gold nibs. This Etruria jumps from €167 to €410… 

[como]

@TheDutchGuy The Miele Selvatico is a very attractive resin, especially at this price range. The uptick on gold nib in Stipula is quite high (Like you said, Visconti etc also). The 14k Sti-flex of Stipula is very nice, but adds over €220 to the price. 18k is kind of rigid. Titanium can be an option. I don’t know how easy it is to find a Stipula gold nib on secondary market, maybe not as easy. You will likely find the pen fit your hand very well. It’s a very comfortable pen to hold for me. 

[TheDutchGuy]

Tx, como. I’ve got a few nice #6 nibs here that might end up in the Etruria if it’s stock nib doesn’t tick my boxes. Can’t wait to try the pen!

[chromantic]

So beautiful! I just ordered one (gold trim, like VillageLife's) with the stub nib, the first time I've ordered a stub. Figure it'll go well with the new Golden Beryl, or at least that's the plan. Was overall pleased with the Magma as a pen, if a little larger and heavier than I'm used to, but not as thrilled with the colors as I imagined I'd be; should have gone with this one then.