Amanresorts Antinori Ascot Chang Aston Martin $142 Million Private Lake Auberge Resorts Audi Berluti Bombardier Bottega Veneta Brioni Buffalo Trace Distillery Bulgari Cartier Cha-nel Fine Jewelry Christie’s $1 Million 100-Point Wine Collection Dior Dolce & Gabbana Ducati Dunhill Ermenegildo Zegna Four Seasons Gucci Hermès $330 Million Flying Residence Isaia DeWitt Jaguar John Lobb Kiton Loro Piana Louis Vuitton Lugano Diamonds Pappy Van Wink-tek Philippe Peninsula Hotels $1.6 Million One-of-a-Kind Complicated Watch Piaggio Aero Porsche Prada Ralph Lauren Ritz-Carlton Salvatore Ferragamo St. Regis Tiffany & Co. Tod’s wTom Ford 325-Foot Exploration Megayacht Verdura Versace Zilli $1 Million 100-Point Wine Collection Amanresorts Antinori Ascot Chang Aston Martin $142 Million Private Lake Auberge Resorts Audi Berluti Bombardier Bottega Veneta Brioni Buffalo Trace Distillery Bulgari Cart-ier Chanel Fine Jewelry Christie’s $1 Million 100-Point Wine Collection Dior Dolce & Gabbana Ducati Dunhill Ermenegildo Zegna Four Seasons Gucci Hermès Isaia $330 Million Flying Residence DeWitt Jaguar John Lobb Kiton Loro Piana Louis Vuitton Lugano Diamonds Pappy Van Winkle Patek Philippe Peninsula Hotels $1.6 Million One-of-a-Kind Complicated Watch Piaggio Aero Porsche Prada Ralph Lauren Ritz-Carlton Salvatore Ferragamo St. Regis Tiffany & Co. Tod’s Tom Ford Verdura 325-Foot Exploration Megayacht Versace Zilli $142 Million Pri-vate Lake Auberge Resorts Audi Berluti Bombardier Bottega Veneta Brioni Buffalo Trace Dis-tillery Bulgari Cartier Chanel Fine Jewelry Christie’s $1 Million 100-Point Wine Collection Dior Dolce & Gabbana Ducati Dunhill Ermenegildo Zegna Four Seasons Gucci Hermès $330 Million Flying Residence Isaia DeWitt Jaguar John Lobb Kiton Loro Piana Louis Vuitton Lugano Dia-monds Pappy Van Winkle Patek Philippe Peninsula Hotels $1.6 Million One-of-a-Kind Compli-cated Watch Piaggio Aero Porsche Prada Ralph Lauren Ritz-Carlton Salvatore Ferragamo St. Regis Tiffany & Co. Tod’s Tom Ford Verdura 325-Foot Exploration Megayacht Versace Zilli $330 Million Flying Residence Auberge Resorts Audi Berluti Bombardier Bottega Veneta Brioni Buffalo Trace Distillery Bulgari Cartier Chanel Fine Jewelry Christie’s $1 Million 100-Point Wine Collection Dior Dolce & Gabbana Ducati Dunhill Ermenegildo Zegna Four Seasons Gucci Her-mès $330 Million Flying Residence Isaia DeWitt Jaguar John Lobb Kiton Loro Piana Louis Vuitton Lugano Diamonds Pappy Van Winkle Patek Philippe Peninsula Hotels $1.6 Million One-of-a-Kind Complicated Watch Piaggio Aero Porsche Prada Ralph Lauren Ritz-Carlton Salvatore Ferragamo St. Regis Tiffany & Co. Tod’s Tom Ford Verdura $1 Million 100-Point Wine Collec-tion Versace Zilli Amanresorts Antinori Ascot Chang Aston Martin $142 Million Private Lake

RobbReport.com

GiftsSPECIAL

HOLIDAY ISSUE

Featuring

p

p

23 ULTIMATE

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4

Left: Curtis Australia Racing

the Wind pen concept. Above:

The ultimate pen’s clip could house a hidden lapel pin.

b

$1.2 million

the g

ift

A bespoke pen created specifically for the recipient by the designers at Curtis Australia.

An exclusive tour of the Argyle Diamond Mine andArgyle Pink Diamondscutting room.

No . 2 0/23

Penning a Story

to a pen like this. There is a story behind it, and when you hand it over to someone, you can share its meaning.”

This year, one Robb Report reader will have the oppor-tunity to pen his or her own story, working with Curtis and his team to develop the most extravagant writing instrument the studio has ever created. Unlike many manufacturers of fine writing instruments, which sub-contract various aspects of their pens’ production to third parties, Curtis Australia handles every step of the process in-house. The studio is thus able to offer the recipient complete control of the project, from its earli-est design stages and the sourcing of materials to the final sculpting and gem setting.

The process of creating the ultimate bespoke pen will begin with a trip to Curtis Australia’s studio in Bairnsdale, a three-hour drive from Melbourne. There, the recipient will meet with Curtis and his head designer, Trevor Brown, to develop the themes that will be incorporated into the pen’s design. “We would find out what interests them, what imagery is important to them, and if there is a crest or monogram we can feature within the design,” Curtis says. “We can even hide tiny symbols relating to their family or work within the intricacies of the pen, making a story that perhaps only they can enjoy.”

Excited by the proposition of creating the ultimate pen, both Curtis and Brown have developed concept designs—called Racing the Wind and Artistry, respectively—that represent the type of pen they would create were they the recipient. Curtis’s pen is inspired by his love of nature and is decorated with stylized representations of a horse and an eagle in motion, capturing the fluidity and

A CCORDING TO GLENN CURTIS, the founder and

CEO of the jewelry and writing-instrument company

Curtis Australia, the best pens are manifestations of

their owners. “You have a personal piece of artwork that

you can touch and feel,” he says. “There is an intimacy

ROBB REP ORT.COM | DECEMBER 2014

23 Ultimate Gifts PENNING A STORY

Right: Curtis Australia Artistry pen concept. Top right: The firm’s

previous creations include 2008’s Curtis Australia Wildlife Warrior

pen.

“THERE IS AN INTIMACY TO A PEN LIKE THIS. THERE IS A

STORY BEHIND IT.”—GLENN CURTIS, FOUNDER AND CEO,

CURTIS AUSTRALIA

freedom of the wild. As a designer, Brown dedicated his pen to the decorative arts that inspire him, with one side featuring a pattern in the art nouveau style and the other in art deco. Both concepts feature unique functions that can be incor-porated into the recipient’s pen, such as a cap end with a hidden compartment and a clip containing a removable lapel pin. Each design, if realized, would be adorned with approximately 230 white diamonds and 350 extremely rare pink dia-monds, totaling about 16.5 carats.

Curtis Australia sources its pink diamonds from the Argyle Diamond Mine in Western Australia’s Kimberley region, where Curtis and the recipi-ent will travel for an exclusive tour. One of the largest functioning dia-mond mines, Argyle is the only known reliable source for pink diamonds, generating 90 percent of the world’s supply. Even at Argyle these diamonds are exceedingly rare, accounting for

just one of every million carats the mine extracts. The recipient will see these rare stones up close at the Argyle Pink Diamonds cutting room in Perth, where a team of craftspeople cuts each rough diamond in a process that can take as long as a year.

Once a design has been finalized, Curtis and his team of 10 artisans will begin manufacturing the pen, which will require several hundred hours of labor. During this time, the recipient will receive regular videos updating him or her on the status of the work. Once complete, Curtis will present the recipient with the final product—a personalized piece of art that will tell a story for generations to come. —john lyon

Curtis Australia, Trevor Brown, +61.3.5152.1089, trevor@curtis australia.com, curtisaustralia.com

THE GIFT IS AVAILABLE FROM DECEMBER 1,

2014, THROUGH MAY 1, 2015.

Reprinted from Robb Report©2014, a CurtCo Robb Media, LLC publication. This reprint does not constitute an endorsement, implied or otherwise, by CurtCo Robb Media, LLC. It may not be reprinted by anyone other than CurtCo Robb Media, LLC or used in any way for any advertising or promotional purposes without prior written consent of CurtCo Robb Media, LLC. This reprint may not be sold by anyone other than CurtCo Robb Media, LLC or its authorized agents and no message, with the sole exception of the donor’s name, may be imprinted on it. Reproduction in whole or in part or storage in any data retrieval system or any transmission by any means therefrom without prior written permission is prohibited. Robb Report® is the registered trademark of CurtCo Robb Media, LLC. Subscriptions and back issues (800) 947-7472. reprints@curtco.com