NEELUM
The Vazir Neelam
When I saw this fountain pen I was taken back to the valleys by the Zanskar River, the abode to the rarest Sapphires. Kashmiri sapphires descend from a remote part of the Himalaya Mountains known as the Zanskar range.Historically, the Maharaja of Kashmir heard of the presence of the bright blue beautiful sapphires, he posted guards outside of the mines to protect their value. From the year 1882 to 1887, the mines were worked day and night throughout the summer months until the mines were depleted.
It wasn’t until 1887 that a geologist discovered that the sapphire stones, some as large as eggplants, originated from two separate locations. One location, known as the “Old Mine” included the pits within the valley and a second location which included the valley floor just below the Old Mine.
To access the mine, the beginning journey is quite dangerous and challenging. The journey started by traveling over the Chinab and Wardwan River to cross a rope bridge which was elevated 11,550 ft in the mountains. The Chinab River ran through deep and quite narrow canyons which made traveling even more difficult. This portion of the travel took 5 days, even though it was only 24 miles long. The mines have been worked many times since these dates, but few sapphires have been produced as a result.
The Rarity of the Kashmir Sapphire
The Kashmiri sapphire is the most famous type of sapphire in the world. Newly discovered ones are extremely rare as the material existing still was discovered well over 100 years ago. They are highly sought after because they are the epitomy of a near perfect sapphire if there ever was one. They have a superior cornflower blue hue to them with a mysterious and almost sleepy quality. Some gem enthusiasts describe this as ‘blue velvet”.
Why I Choose this Name
Hooded nib pens are a rarity in Indian fountain pen brands . This pen with semi hooded reminds me of the hidden and rare beauty of fountain pens with hooded nibs found in only few brands just like the popularity yet rarity of the Kashmiri Neelam.
Vazir’s hidden and rare beauty is epitomised by Neelum....
--- Major Nithi C.J (Retd)
neelum
Like we would like to call it, presenting another Gem from Vazir: “Neelum”
The Neelum is made up of high quality premium resin in a very subtle shade of blue (We like to call it blue velvet). The pen design stands out for its ribbed barrel pattern and a semi hooded #6 nib.
Neelum is completely handcrafted and comes in a limited production run of just 200 pieces (numbered)
Pen Specifications
*Design *: A semi hooded nib section with a Waverley ribbed patterned barrel
*Material *: Premium Resin
Dimensions:
Pen length : 145mm
Cap length : 68mm
Without cap length: 120mm including nib
Weight approx 25gm
Max diameter : 16mm
Section diameter : 13mm
Ink filling mechanism: cartridge converter (Schmidt convertor included)
Mrp : 3500/-
Launch date : 12th February 2021
Pre booking yours till 7th February for just 3000/-
Available in gold trims and chrome trims with nib option of EF,F,M,B,BB
The Neelum has be named by Major Nithi C.J(Retd) creator of The INQ and here are her words that have Neelum its name.