Here are the most beautiful pens in the world! Meet Urso Luxury

04 September 2015 | Esther Ligthart | Fashion & Lifestyle

Fierce falcons, crawling tigers, proud horses….you wouldn’t expect to find them on pens. Somewhere in a very small town in the hills of the beautiful Monferrato area, Piedmont, Italy, you can find a workshop where the one of the most beautiful pens of this world are created. Come and meet Urso Luxury, creator of one the most beautiful pen collection in the world!

Passion and desire

The world of luxury is a weird one, although I know that luxury has everything to do with status, it’s not that part that fascinates me. However; it’s certainly an important component of that world. But a far bigger part is the dream and desire to create, with the very best materials available, the highest technical skills and incredible craftsmanship, the most beautiful items. Whether that’s a boat, a piece of jewelry, furniture, a dress, a bag or… a pen.

Niche

It’s one of smaller niches of this world of luxury; the world of pens. But there is a large group of very passionate collectors and appreciators worldwide. Personally, I have always loved to write letters and sometimes regret a little bit this lost habit of sending letters to people, written by hand. But even if some predicted that we would all together lose interest in handwritten letters and beautiful paper, pens and luxury items related to our desk, they couldn’t have been more wrong.

The new Luxury

There is a deep appreciation, I would state: a renewed appreciation for writing and writing instruments. It becomes something special to receive something written by hand and therefor perhaps; the new luxury. Someone stated that in this world of an overflowing diet of information and rapid replies to anything that crosses us our attention during the day, it is attention that is the real luxury. It is attention that in the end, we all grave for.

Master Jeweler: Giuseppe Urso

Now here is a brand that I think, is creating something that people- with a bit of budget, I must admit- will love for its incredible attention to detail. Urso Luxury has been around for more than 30 years and has created a very niche but dedicated stream of fans.

Giuseppe Urso is a Master jeweler, trained in Valenza Po, only thé heart of the Italian jewelry design world. Valenza is known throughout Italy as the world of Master jewelers. Those Master jewelers, who are still able to execute the most refined, sought after work on jewelry creations. Giuseppe worked for some jewelry companies but has followed his heart and with his family he created Urso Luxury. He is a modest, yet very vivid and passionate person when it comes to talking about his work.

What caught my eye immediately was the animal collection. There are these stunning creatures and they are just perfectly translated into details on a writing instrument. And all their magnificence and souls are truly captured in Urso’s designs.

It may seem perhaps like not such a hard thing, but if you learn a little bit more about craftsmanship in jewelry, you’ll learn that it is, in fact, one of the hardest things to achieve. In addition to that, comes technique and balance. The pen has to be easy to use. Yes, they are indeed heavy enough, but they must provide a good grip and not be uncomfortable in your hand.

Interview

I asked Giuseppe Urso about his company and his relation with animals.

Animals

Esther: Giuseppe, why do we see so much animal theme pens in your collection.
Giuseppe: To be honest, the animals in paintings, sculptures, fashion and jewelry have always inspired me and considering my experience with jewelry, I just wanted to represent them also in my writing instruments.
Esther: Other than being wonderful creatures and an inspiration for all the items that you’ve mentioned, do you have another motive perhaps, that you wanted to use this strong theme in your collection?
Giuseppe: oh yes! Animals have always been important to humanity. To us all. They contribute to our well-being and for this we should respect them. It’s not a coincidence that I have longed to create a collection of almost extinct animals, like the White Tiger, the Elephant and Panther. It’s my way of asking attention for them!

Horses

Esther: There is this beautiful collection of horse pens! I love horses since I was 5 and dreamed to own one ever since. What does the horse mean to you?
Giuseppe: That’s a very simple for me: how would our history have evolved if it wasn’t for the horse. Where would we have been without this noble and stunning creature?
Esther: I have declared above that you seem to be able to capture the spirit of the animal almost! How do you do that?
Giuseppe: I am not sure if I am able to capture its spirit, but I try to capture their appearance, enhance their skills, their features within my own capacities. When I start with an idea, I dive into all I can read and see about this specific animal. I do this with all my collections, also the non-animal ones. I try to indentify myself with them and I long to truly understand their beauty. This helps me to then create a design. It’s important to me that the design and the final result really represent my thoughts about this creature.

Jewelry

Esther: Your pens are amazing. I love them and see them as high end luxury but also as jewelry in a way. How would you describe them? And are they a status symbol?
Giuseppe: First of all, it’s important to ask yourself: what is a writing instrument? We identify a pen with an instrument that brings our thoughts into writing, but yes, today it has become a status symbol too. And so for me there is nothing better than personalizing that writing instrument. I am proud to be able to create such a writing instrument that can contribute to the identity of a person.
Esther: I can relate to that. My love for animals and nature and beauty is the reason why I love to wear jewelry that represent that.
Giuseppe: Exactly! And these pens become jewelry when worn in the breast pocket on a jacket. You see, worn like that, you will see that the pen is created to show its features completely. The Elephant’s trunk for example is also the clip! It will be something that adorns your style! Note: Giuseppe has declared before to be very proud of the fact that his son, Riccardo Urso, has created the design for the Elephant collection!

New!

Esther: Your latest creation is the Falcon. Can you tell us more about that?
Giuseppe: The Falcon collection was born as a request of some of the Arabic countries. The falcon has a great significance for them and there is a special bond, like with the Arab horse, between men and falcons. Besides that, it’s such a fascinating animal. It can reach up to 320 km per hour when it goes down to earth from up in the sky to capture its prey animal. It can also see 8 times better than us when noticing a prey animal at a kilometer distance. It’s been subject, due to its incredible capacities, for many studies. Including the creation of the Jet Falcon. In the film we have created for this collection, I have really tried to capture my love and thoughts for this animal!

Urso Luxury is available in the U.S.A and Europe and Middle East. For more information about the company and where to buy, please visit the website: www.ursoluxury.com
Urso Luxury is currently represented by Bizzita jewelry agency in the U.K, France, Benelux and Scandinavian countries. Yes, that’s what Bizzita does too! :-)