“Necessity is the mother of invention.”

Regalia Writing Labs was born from a desire to see more unique and interesting writing experiences from fountain pens currently being produced today, and to see more interesting nibs used in the incredible works of artisans and makers of custom, handmade pens.

There was a time where fountain pen companies were making and releasing nibs that were bold, new and innovative, that stepped away from the standard Fines and Mediums. Factory stubs, italics, and flex nibs, which played with the concept and idea of what a nib was.

For me, it was Nobuyoshi Nagahara’s work that truly elevated the form; he was stacking 21k gold nibs on top of each other in ways never seen before. Within the last two decades, his works have blurred the line between art and tool, style and substance – a myriad of shapes, sensations and variations, creating writing experiences I could only dream of having.

And dream I did.

I dreamt of good flex. I dreamt of owning one of the Great Nagahara stacked nibs.

But his nibs carried a price I couldn’t pay, especially as the value would go up with each passing year, so I turned to the only things I had in abundance: time and determination. I locked myself in my room like a mad scientist in his laboratory, and I put myself to work.

I learned a lot, not just about the process and the means to stack, grind and plate, but also from giants in the space, like Richard Binder, and other experienced and knowledgeable people who kindly gave me their time and wisdom. The fountain pen community is such a wealth of compassion and creativity, I could not have embarked on this journey alone.

I did and do still feel that I have more to learn and much to improve, but I genuinely enjoy using the things I’ve created, and I feel that it would be somewhat selfish to keep them all to myself.

So, I guess Regalia is my way of sharing the crazy things I discovered along the way with all of you.

Thank you all, so much, for being part of this absurd but exciting journey.

-Ralph Reyes