Parker Sonnet fountain pen

Fountain pen

A fountain pen is a nib pen that, unlike its predecessor the dip pen, contains an internal reservoir of water-based liquid ink. The pen draws ink from the reservoir through a feed to the nib and deposits it on paper via a combination of gravity and capillary action...

s and rollerball pen

Rollerball pen

Rollerball pens are pens which use ball point writing mechanisms with water-based liquid or gelled ink, as opposed to the oil-based viscous inks found in ballpoint pens...

s are ranges of pens made by the Parker Pen Company

Parker Pen Company

The Parker Pen Company is a manufacturer of pens, founded in 1888 by George Safford Parker in Janesville, Wisconsin, United States. It is currently owned by Newell Rubbermaid, and headquartered in Newhaven, East Sussex, England.-History:...

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Sonnet Mk 1 fountain pen

Fountain pen

A fountain pen is a nib pen that, unlike its predecessor the dip pen, contains an internal reservoir of water-based liquid ink. The pen draws ink from the reservoir through a feed to the nib and deposits it on paper via a combination of gravity and capillary action...

s were first sold in 1993, in a thin and thick cap band depending on model. Its manufacture has been superseded by the Sonnet Mk 2, which has a uniformly sized cap band which is of medium width, not as wide or thin as any of the earlier Sonnet models. Both the Mk 1 and Mk 2 Sonnet fountain pen

Fountain pen

A fountain pen is a nib pen that, unlike its predecessor the dip pen, contains an internal reservoir of water-based liquid ink. The pen draws ink from the reservoir through a feed to the nib and deposits it on paper via a combination of gravity and capillary action...

s have several variants; some have solid 18kt gold nibs, some have gold plated trim, some have caps and shafts made with sterling silver and others with stainless steel & Brass, some are coated with lacquer

Lacquer

In a general sense, lacquer is a somewhat imprecise term for a clear or coloured varnish that dries by solvent evaporation and often a curing process as well that produces a hard, durable finish, in any sheen level from ultra matte to high gloss and that can be further polished as required...

s or paints or other substances, and some are silver plated.

Sonnet Mk 1

The Parker Sonnet was released as a successor to the long-running and dated design of the Parker 75, and before the subsequent release of the new Duofold

Duofold

The Parker Duofold is a range of fountain pens produced by the Parker Pen CompanyThe first model was produced in 1921 and was a large pen, 5.5 inches long when capped, and made of a showy bright red hard rubber and expensively priced at $7.00, equivalent to about $83 in 2009.The original...

 was the flagship model of the Parker lineup. The pen was offered in a large number of variants, with models made out of coated brass, and some made out of precious metals. The lowest in line was made out of the sturdy Stainless Steel.

The top line included precious metals and Maki-e lacque techniques and came with a rhodium masked 18k gold nib, and wide cap band. They included complicated designs like the Ambre and Chinese Red, with metal finishes like gold plated, silver plated or Sterling Silver.

The middle in the series came with lacque finishes not made by Maki-e, but still have a flair to them, like the Firedance finish. They were generally made with a very thin cap band, but thick banded variants do exist.

The lowest in the series were made in simpler finishes and had gold plated or unplated Steel nibs. The bands offered in these were always thin.

Sonnet Refresh and Sonnet Mk 2

The Sonnet Refresh was released as the latest variant to the Sonnet, ending the decade of the Mk 1 Sonnets. The Refresh had a medium cap band, not as wide as the original wide band, but wider than the thin cap band variant. The engraving no longer ran through the cap's length, but was engraved horizontally on the cap band. The clip lost 2 of the 7 feathers of the Mk 1, now having 5. The nib also changed, the steel nib now had a newer v-shaped design, while the gold nib was an entirely new lattice work unit.

Nib sizes

Parker originally offered the Parker Sonnet in 4 nib sizes: Fine, Medium, Broad and Extra Fine; now, they offer 8 nib grades, with obliques now featuring in the series.

Special editions

Parker also had Special Editions for the Sonnet line. One was the terracotta; the other was a silver and blue. Both were available in fountain, rollerball and ballpoint pen modes. The box in which they were packaged were a bigger size than that of the usual Parker Sonnets. Recently, there have been two Limited Edition Sonnets- Sonnet Crocodile Vermeil and Sonnet Fu, the Fu being a release alongside Parker's flagship model Duofold

Duofold

The Parker Duofold is a range of fountain pens produced by the Parker Pen CompanyThe first model was produced in 1921 and was a large pen, 5.5 inches long when capped, and made of a showy bright red hard rubber and expensively priced at $7.00, equivalent to about $83 in 2009.The original...

Counterfeit pens

The Parker Sonnet is well known for being one of the most commonly counterfeit

Counterfeit

To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...

ed pens produced by a major company, with fake Sonnets commonly showing up on second-hand markets such as eBay

EBay

eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...

. It is one of only a few major pen models (as well as the ST Dupont

ST Dupont

S. T. Dupont Paris is a designer brand name and manufacturer of stylish lighters, collectible pens, handbags, and recently stylish tech gadgets using the trademark diamond-head pattern. The company has been producing luxury items since 1872 when founded by Simon Tissot Dupont. The founder of...

 Orpheo and many Mont Blanc

Montblanc (pens)

Montblanc International GmbH is a German manufacturer of writing instruments, watches and accessories, often identified by their "White Star" logo.-History:...

pens) that were so widely counterfeited that fake pens are regularly sold in many markets. Only the weak plating, uneven finishes, side-by-side comparison with a genuine unit and a few more factors are a giveaway to the fake Sonnet's origins.