Pens of Note

The Momento Zero Grande Mosaico Hawaii

The Momento Zero, the flagship pen for Leonardo Officina Italiana, was the initial offering by the company. A great success, it continues to be a popular and attractive pen. I have the the prototype Momento Zero, in a beautiful celluloid for the stunning Abyss, a line no longer in production. The pen is important to my collection as it was the original release. Since that time the Momento Zero continues to be released in various colours and materials. It was also released in a larger Grande size.

In October 2021, Karen and I, while in Rome, met with Salvatore Matrone and discussed the new 2022 release - the Momento Zero Grande Mosaico Chiaroscuro, Mango and Hawaii. Working for almost two years, Salvator set the specifications for the cutting of the resin to be horizonal in nature, so the pattern of the resin creates a stacked appearance rather than have long lines running the length of the pen.

By February 2022 the pens were shipped to retailers.

There are two looks to the pen. On the clip side there is a the layered look of horizonal squares running the length of the pen. As you turn the pen, there is more of a mosaic pattern, and on the backside along with an oval, reminiscent of the "arco" pens, extending the length of the pen. The arco is very noticeable on the Chiaroscuro, and faintly so on the Hawaii pen that I now have. A word of caution, as each pen will have some distinctive look as all rods of resin are not identical.

Salvatore showed us the magic of alignment. Turn the cap on the body of the pen until it clicks closed. Do this up to three times, and you will have the cap and body aligned. The magic of three.

The Momento Zero Grande is a large size pen fitted with a number 6 nib. The pen has one of the largest piston fills available holding a generous 1.5 ml of link. The pen has a classic look. The horizontal stacking does not create sharpe lines but rather a beatiful integrated appearance of tones of blue, tan, brown and some silver highlights.

The pens are numbered, I have pen 319, although they are not part of a limited production in terms of a specific number of pens to be produced.

 

The Body & Cap

The pen is light to hold despite the size. I use my pen both cap off and posted. I generally like to post my pen for a little extra length and also safety (the clip prevents the pen from rolling off the desk).

The internal piston mechanism, designed and created by Leonardo, is accessible through a cap at the end of the body. The piston is one of the largest on the market, giving the Momento Zero Grande an ink capacity of 1.5 ml of ink.

The pens have gold plate or Palladium trim and my pen was ordered with gold trim to match the 14 kt gold nib. I was indeep fortunate as this was a gift, My wife, Karen worked with Marco at Novelli Pen in Rome to order the pen with a Stub 1.1 nib - just what I needed! (While you are reading this, I am still doing "house projects" to earn off the pen!)

The Nib & Feed

The pen comes fitted with a size 6 nib available in 14 kt gold or stainless steel. The 14 kt gold nibs are available in Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad and 1.1 Stub widths. The steel nibs are available in Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad and 1.1 and 1.5 stub width as well as the Elastic Fine and Extra Fine styles. The nibs are manufactured by JoWo, engraved and polished in the Leonardo workshop.

My Momento Zero Grande has a gold nib and is fitted with a black ebonite feed.

Cap Band

The new line uses an updated band at the base of the cap. The cap has a single broad 8 mm band with an engraved geometric art pattern. This replaces the series of rings found on the previous Momento Zero line.

The Pen Box

The pen comes in the larger sized Leonardo Officina Italiana box that holds the pen and a 40 ml bottle of excellent Leonardo Officina Italiana fountain pen ink.

The Writing Experience

Well this is what the pen is all about. The Momento Zero Grande pen is simply a wonderful writer.

My pen is fitted with a 1.1 Stub 14 kt gold nib. The 1.1 width leaves a line with width variation, however, I believe it makes my writing a little esier to read compared to the broad stub nibs.

What's next? I truly believe I need to address the issue of a lonely pen. I need the final member of the family - the Moaisco Mango! It was just not fair to break up the trio: Chiaroscuro, Hawaii and Mango.