{"product_id":"esterbrook-estie-fountain-pen-18k-tortoise-gold","title":"Esterbrook Estie Fountain Pen, 18K — Tortoise \u0026 Gold","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Estie Fountain Pen in Tortoise, fitted with the solid 18K gold Fine nib, is the gold-nib pen for the lawyer who writes by hand every day — the redline, the margin note, the deposition taken at speed. The barrel is tortoise-figured blended acrylic, turned and high-polished, with gold-tone trim; the nib is solid 18-karat gold, made in Germany by JoWo, and it is offered here in Fine. The pen in the photograph is representative, not identical to the one that arrives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA gold nib is not louder than a steel one; it is quieter. The metal has a give that steel does not, so it settles over months into the way its owner writes — and a nib used every day settles sooner than one kept for occasions. The Estie fills by cartridge or converter and takes standard international cartridges, and its cushion cap seals the nib against drying between uses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFine is the width for small, upright handwriting, the legal pad and the marked-up draft; it lays a narrower line than a Medium and keeps a page of notes legible. If you write large, or the pen is mostly for signing and inscribing, choose Medium instead — we carry the 18K in Medium in \u003ca href=\"\/products\/esterbrook-estie-fountain-pen-18k-ebony-gold\"\u003eEbony\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/esterbrook-estie-fountain-pen-18k-nouveau-bleu-gold\"\u003eNouveau Bleu\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMaker:\u003c\/strong\u003e Esterbrook (Camden, New Jersey, 1858; revived 2018)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eModel:\u003c\/strong\u003e Estie fountain pen, 18K\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e Capped 6 in.; uncapped 5.2 in.; posted 7.25 in.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNib:\u003c\/strong\u003e Solid 18K gold, Fine; made in Germany by JoWo\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFilling:\u003c\/strong\u003e Cartridge or converter; accepts standard international cartridges\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBody:\u003c\/strong\u003e Blended, turned acrylic, high-polished — Tortoise\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTrim:\u003c\/strong\u003e Gold-tone\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCap:\u003c\/strong\u003e Cushion cap with secondary seal\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/strong\u003e Turned in Taiwan or China\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWarranty:\u003c\/strong\u003e One year from Esterbrook, extendable by registering the pen, plus our Thirty-Day Assurance\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn why width matters more than it looks — read \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/field-guide\/fine-nib-or-medium\"\u003eFine Nib, or Medium?\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBuilt for the daily page of notes more than the inscription — if you want a gold nib for signing, see the Medium 18K in \u003ca href=\"\/products\/esterbrook-estie-fountain-pen-18k-ebony-gold\"\u003eEbony\u003c\/a\u003e; if you want the same finish with a steel nib, see the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/esterbrook-estie-fountain-pen-tortoise-gold\"\u003eEstie Fountain Pen in Tortoise\u003c\/a\u003e; if you want it as a daily writer with no nib to manage, see the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/esterbrook-estie-rollerball-tortoise-gold\"\u003eEstie Rollerball in Tortoise\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eQuestions we get\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy a Fine gold nib?\u003c\/strong\u003e Because a gold nib's give is easiest to feel in the pen that is used most. A Fine suits the redline and the deposition note taken at speed; if the pen is for signatures and inscriptions, a Medium lays the broader, wetter line those are built on.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs a gold nib actually better than steel?\u003c\/strong\u003e Not louder — quieter. Eighteen-karat gold has a give that steel does not, so the nib settles over months into the way its owner writes. That is the reason a good fountain pen is given at a beginning rather than an end.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it dry out if I leave it for a few days?\u003c\/strong\u003e The cushion cap seats with a secondary seal against exactly that, so the pen writes on the first stroke after a week on the desk.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow does it fill?\u003c\/strong\u003e Cartridge or converter, and it accepts standard international cartridges — so ink is never a special order. See \u003ca href=\"\/products\/esterbrook-ink-cartridges\"\u003eEsterbrook cartridges\u003c\/a\u003e or the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/esterbrook-ink-converter\"\u003eEsterbrook converter\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFine or medium, really?\u003c\/strong\u003e The single most common way to end up with an expensive pen you never reach for is buying the wrong width. We argue both in \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/field-guide\/fine-nib-or-medium\"\u003eFine Nib, or Medium?\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSee the rest of our \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/fountain-pens\"\u003efountain pens for lawyers\u003c\/a\u003e, or the full \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/writing-instruments\"\u003eWriting Instruments collection\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBarrister \u0026amp; Bespoke Curated Collection — hand-selected from Esterbrook, the American pen name founded in Camden, New Jersey in 1858 and revived in 2018, for its craftsmanship and fit within our world. Curated pieces carry their maker's own identity rather than ours; our house collection, designed and branded exclusively for Barrister \u0026amp; Bespoke, is marked separately throughout the shop.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003csmall\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWarranty.\u003c\/strong\u003e This Product carries Esterbrook's one-year factory warranty against mechanical failure and manufacturing defects in materials or workmanship, with an extended warranty available by registering the pen with Esterbrook after purchase, and Barrister \u0026amp; Bespoke's own Thirty-Day Assurance for the first thirty days after delivery. Full terms, including how to make a claim, are stated in our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/warranty-policy\"\u003eWarranty Policy\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/small\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003csmall\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReturns.\u003c\/strong\u003e A fountain pen may be returned within thirty days if it is unused and in its original packaging. Once a pen has been inked it is Final Sale and cannot be returned or exchanged, except where it arrives damaged, defective, or materially different from its description. Fill it after you have decided to keep it. Full terms are in our \u003ca href=\"\/policies\/refund-policy\"\u003eReturns \u0026amp; Exchanges Policy\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/small\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Esterbrook","offers":[{"title":"Tortoise \/ Fine","offer_id":67625618473275,"sku":"E136-18K","price":590.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0963\/8153\/4523\/files\/Esterbrook-Estie-Fountain-Pen-18K-tortoise-gold_1.png?v=1790863566","url":"https:\/\/www.barristerandbespoke.com\/products\/esterbrook-estie-fountain-pen-18k-tortoise-gold","provider":"Barrister \u0026 Bespoke","version":"1.0","type":"link"}