The Midas touch

Some may say that written text is meeting its end. They couldn’t be more wrong. Handwritten letters hold great value in the digital age and even the digitisation of signatures hasn’t caught on worldwide. The reason is obvious. The intimacy and intention that can be read out of a handwritten letter can never be replicated in its more mechanical form.

Montblanc celebrates the art and importance of handwriting with an ink that is sure to go down the annals of history as one that is as prestigious as the occasions it will be used for. The Montblanc Golden Elixir Collection is literally golden ink. While we are far away from the days when war treaties and geopolitical alliances were signed on battlefields, the golden ink is sure to find its use. Unlike ink that looks like it is made of gold, this blend is made of genuine 24-karat gold particles. It has already won the accolade of being among the world’s most expensive liquids. The word ‘elixir’ holds more than just a metaphorical reference. This ink was defined by medieval alchemists as a preparation capable of changing any metal to gold. The makers state that as soon as the ink has dried, it turns into pure gold on the surface where it has been etched. Reminiscent of a sigil from Game of Thrones or a seal from Hogwarts, nothing says authentic like liquid gold.

Montblanc is limiting this to only 100 pieces and each bottle will be sold at ₹3 lakh. The ink is inspired by illustrations in Medieval books where craftsmen would use golden leaves and gold powder to create gilded inscriptions that would last for centuries. ‘Words in gold’ would thus be considered to be statements that would hold meaning far beyond the day they were inscribed.

The ink is presented in a bottle that is built to protect the precious liquid it holds. The beautiful container will have a gold-plated lid atop it and a Montblanc logo on it. Inside the bottle, the ink appears to be dark red in colour.

Enhancing the experience is a Golden Elixir Notebook, that comes along with the ink. Cloaked in a leather cover, the book takes us back to the Medieval ages where notebooks would have elaborately designed covers. The company has imposed its mark on the cover with a beautifully inscribed golden ‘G’ . This could be considered as the authentication seal on the book. The pages of the book are deep black in colour to create a better contrast for the golden ink. Calligraphic examples through the book help inspire the artisan in you to recreate the magic of writing in ink.

Dhiram Shahis the Mumbai based founder of luxurylaunches.com

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