Ballpoints and the Ballet

by Pete Waters 

Even the pens were doing pirouettes Thursday night as the Washington Ballet hosted a “Great Gatsby” get together at Tysons Galleria’s brand new Montblanc.  The international jeweler invited guests to the grand opening of its new spacious boutique that featured the company’s recently expanded offerings (timepieces, eyewear, leather goods, and fragrances) as well as it core businesss (dating back to 1924), “jewelry that writes.”

Patrons cocktailed while perusing collections including Montblanc’s Christopher Columbus pen (at left) — The Galleria’s display boasts Number 12 in a series of only 14 ever made — a diamond-studded jeweled pen with engravings in the Toledo style, listing for a cool $67,000.

In keeping with Montblanc’s philosophy of quality craftsmanship becoming art, the company’s patronage extends to its local sponsorship of the Washington Ballet’s reprisal of The Great Gatsby at The Kennedy Center (November 2-6). In the word of Elizabeth Early, the Ballet’s Manager of Special Events and Stewardship, “Montblanc is the perfect lead sponsor … because its timeless pieces of art perfectly match the theme of the 1920s jazz-age lifestyle.”