“I want to create something that is beautiful that educates, enlightens and inspires, along with a bit of storytelling that is captivating and interesting,” says David Oscarson of the more than 40 designs he's offered luxury fountain pen collectors and buyers since 2000. That's when he launched his eponymous brand with the limited-edition Henrik Wigstrom Trophy pen collection. Since then, he's launched other finely crafted accessories, including corresponding cufflinks and folding knives in sterling silver, guilloché engraving and hot enamel in his UK workshop.
A St. Louis-born designer, David grew up in Stockholm, Sweden, and began his career in the diamond business, but later started his luxury pen company to “create something beautiful that would last for generations.”
Among the numerous historical figures and events honored with David Oscarson designs is Alexander Fleming, the Scottish bacteriologist best known for discovering penicillin. Another honors Nikola Tesla’s eccentric genius wrapped in mystery and mystique. Still another — The Golden Spike Collection — commemorates the first transcontinental railroad, completed when the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads met in the United States at Promontory Summit, Utah, in 1869.
David’s latest release is a tribute to Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, the historic aircraft NX211. The pen honors one of the most daring and iconic achievements of the 20th century: the day Charles Lindbergh made history and captivated the world by flying solo 3,600 miles nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean from New York City to Paris.
“The Charles Lindbergh collection celebrates Lindbergh’s courage and pioneering spirit, while also capturing the essence of the aircraft that made the journey possible, the Spirit of St. Louis,” says David.
The pens retail for around $7,000 and folding knives for $7,800.
David’s use of hand-rendered guilloché (diamond-cut engraving), the same process used by Peter Carl Fabergé in late 20th Century St. Petersburg, and hot enamel work (kiln-fired glass) are traditional art forms. The metal parts of his pens are guilloché-engraved, a decorative technique that uses a hand-operated rose engine lathe to engrave fine, repetitive and intricate patterns onto a metal surface. David also uses specific enameling techniques to enrobe his pens as opposed to more cost-effective methods whose results do not meet his standards.
“While the use of die-striking or casting can be faster and more cost-effective to produce a pattern onto precious metal,” David says, “we are unwavering in our commitment to the time-honored technique of guilloché engraving which reflects and refracts light beyond compare.”
Similarly, he says, easier and more affordable methods of covering precious metals may be achieved through the use of sprays, resins or epoxies. “But we continue in the unique tradition and unparalleled skill of hot enamel that will last for generations.”
David’s designs are represented by retailers around the world, but his home is St. Louis, with Clarkson Jewelers is his exclusive retailer and Todd Broadbent and his team house a presentation of the David Oscarson collection there.
David says his designs “speak to imagination and emotion, memories and history.” From his choice of metals to the flawless guilloché engraving and translucent enamel work, “each piece is a testament to our commitment to timeless craftsmanship, creating tools that elevate the experience of writing or collecting.”
David Oscarson designs have earned numerous awards, including multiple Best of the Best from the Robb Report, Pen of the Year and other first place distinctions from Pen World magazine, and People’s Choice Finalist at the Couture Show in Las Vegas.