Aurora is an Italian manufacturer of fine writing instruments,

fountain pen A fountain pen is a writing instrument which uses a metal nib to apply a water-based ink to paper. It is distinguished from earlier dip pens by using an internal reservoir to hold ink, eliminating the need to repeatedly dip the pen in an in ...

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distrib ...

and

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...

goods, founded in 1919 by wealthy

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

merchant Isaia Levi. The company's products represent the first true Italian fountain pens and are still currently manufactured in their original factory in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...

, northern Italy. Aurora makes a number of small

batch production Batch production is a method of manufacturing where the products are made as specified groups or amounts, within a time frame. A batch can go through a series of steps in a large manufacturing process to make the final desired product. Batch prod ...

pens, including the Aurora diamanté limited edition diamond embedded pen priced at around 1.46 million US Dollars. It is embedded with 2000 diamonds.

History

In 1919 immediately after the

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the company was founded as the "Fabbrica Italiana di Penne a Serbatoio - Aurora", with the financial support of Isaia Levi, in

, in 1919. Aurora began to produce

s, first in black only, then adding several colors to its models. In 1929, Aurora started its expansion to other European countries, which led the company to increase its production and introduce new series. Due to the scarcity of gold during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the company replaced the material with a special alloy named "platiridio", produced and used in some economic models for students. In 1943, the Aurora factory was completely destroyed by a bomb attack. It forced the company to move to the North of the city. Four years later, the most well-known Aurora model, the "88", was launched. It was designed by Marcello Nizzolli with the aim to compete with the

Parker 51 The Parker 51 is a fountain pen first introduced in 1941. Parker marketed it as “The World’s Most Wanted Pen,” a slogan alluding to restrictions on production of consumer goods for civilian markets in the United States during World War II. ...

. The Aurora 88 sold more than 5 million units all over the world, being in production until the 1970s. Moreover, it is considered the most successful Italian fountain pen. A new 88 model would be produced in the 1990s, but its materials and characteristics were different, appearing like a more conventional fountain pen and breaking with the Parker 51 resemblance showed in the original model of 1947. In 1954, the "Duo Cart" Aurora was launched. This pen, designed by Albe Steiner, was the first to introduce an ink cartridge to an Aurora model. The cartridge had the particularity of allowing a second cartridge to be linked to the first one by a metal tube, in which a ball was introduced. When the cartridge was empty, the ball moved making a clinking that allowed the student to know that one cartridge was already empty.Aurora pens history
on Iguanasell website Aurora was acquired by the Verona family. From then on, new models were launched, with the "Hastil" – designed by architect Marco Zanuso in 1969 – as the most relevant. This model achieved a huge success, with a copy permanently exhibited at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

of New York. It was made of steel, plastic and white gold.Marco Zanuso - Hastil Fountain Pen, 1969
on MoMA website

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aurora (Pen Manufacturer) Manufacturing companies established in 1919 Manufacturing companies based in Turin Fountain pen and ink manufacturers Italian companies established in 1919 Italian brands