HIGH STYLE : Mightier Than the Sword

JOHN F. KENNEDY signed the City of Cologne’s Golden Book with one on his 1961 Germany tour. Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone always carried one in his pocket. Margaret Thatcher has a set in sterling silver. The object is the Diplomat fountain pen by Hamburg-based Mont Blanc, designed by company engineers in 1924 and regarded now as the ultimate power pen.

The Masterpiece Diplomat in 18-karat solid-gold overlay boasts an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s most expensive fountain pen--$7,400. An otherwise identical model, in black-lacquer finish with gold-plated fittings, sells for a mere $280, including a gold nib inlaid with platinum curlicues and the “4810” emblem, signifying Mont Blanc’s height in meters (the hexagonal white logo on the cap refers to the snowy peak atop Europe’s highest mountain).

Sitting on its matching desk stand ($155), the Diplomat looks like the writing-instrument counterpart to Daddy Warbucks’ fat Havana stogie. Unfortunately, its size makes the Diplomat awkward for anything more arduous than signing a document. The Masterpiece comes in two smaller sizes (still larger than most pens) priced at $225 and $170; the smallest pen breaks with tradition and accepts ink cartridges.

The newer Classic, Noblesse and SL series boast more linear, svelte styling than the Mont Blanc Masterpiece but haven’t proved as popular, lower prices notwithstanding; evidently, their modernist looks lack that Gatsbyish cachet. The unwieldy Diplomat should strike a familiar chord with decor-conscious Angelenos, accustomed as we are to big, overstuffed everything. Here, finally, is a pen that indeed looks mightier than the sword.

Mont Blanc pens are available at fine stationery stores throughout the area.