Graf Von Faber-Castell Mammoth Fountain Pen of the Year 2006 | Fine Nib

Very rare and extremely difficult to obtain materials are emblematic of the “Pen of the Year” ethos. To find Mammoth Ivory, one must go to extreme locations of the world, and this current material hails from the coasts of the Arctic Ocean in Siberia. Frozen in ice for centuries. It is found in random places during the Siberian summer, when a piece breaks from an iceberg. This type of ivory is 20-25 per cent heavier than regular ivory, and it has a unique veining. Ivory over millennia since buried in ice, needs to be dried out meticulously over a period of up to five years. Once it has been dried, only expert Jurgen Schott can apply the highly skilled workmanship of cutting, grinding, turning, and polishing can begin.

Jurgen Schott is a grand master of the guild of ivory carvers, based in the Odenwald region near Heidelberg.