Responsible for the crafting of the Russian Imperial Easter eggs, from 1903 onward, Henrik Wigstrom (1862-1923) was arguably, Fabergé’s finest craftsman. The Finnish-born master goldsmith and jeweller was also particularly adept at designing cigarette boxes, frames, and figurines, which were produced in large number during Fabergé’s most productive years. Wigstrom, who’s style is characterised by echoes of the Louis XVI and Empire periods, created the famed Trophy Egg, or “Egg with Love Trophies” (1907), which is the basis for the design on the Henrik Wigstrom Trophy Collection, David Oscarson’s inaugural 2000 offering. It is a singular tribute, with kin of spirit, to Wigstrom the man, and his artistic mastery.

In this debut set, even the colours hark back to a time when to seek “refinement” for one’s self, when the desire to join the elite in society, was not decried as a mean or selfish thing, but an aspiration to be sought by all who wished to realise their full potential: dark, rich “red,” more burgundy than scarlet; a violet akin to nothing so much as the robes and vestments of royalty, fairly rustling in the warm, lustrous enamel; black, as if Merlin’s alchemy had somehow produced an entirely new substance from a marriage of ebony wood, onyx, and glacial ice; and a blue that can only be found in the eyes of cornsilk blond, Norse men and women.

Such colour demands materials of strength and endurance, and meticulous craftsmanship that can best be compared to the master watchmaker, or the most skilled surgeon. David Oscarson did not begin with a mind to attempt such a level of workmanship. Rather, he began with the processes in place that would assure that no less could be the result. Stage one in the production of all pieces is the centuries-old technique of Guilloché, wherein each 18-karat gold, or .925 sterling component passes through multiple stages of precision engraving, creating two or more curved bands that interlace to repeat a circular design. A painstaking process, bringing life and light to the surface, up to four or five levels of engraving are enchased into one surface of Sterling Silver to create the three-dimensional surface.

Stage two, Hard Enamel, is produced by a series of precise, assiduous steps that cannot be in any way hurried. Mr. Oscarson describes it himself thusly:

Because of an absolute commitment to the use of Hard (or hot) Enamel, David Oscarson pens will endure for generations, like the works of Cartier, Fabergé, and Van Cleef. A “cold (or soft) enamel” is in fact not true enamel; it is a spray epoxy, a substitute that offers a similar look, but cannot compare with the enduring natural beauty of true enamel.

Passionate creativity, and a dedication to the highest manufacturing standards and processes, have produced a series of limited editions, with rare exception peerless, and always exquisite. Some of these are, the Trellis, Crystal, and Winter collections. In recognition of his high standards, and their results, David Oscarson is recipient of numerous awards, including the Robb Report’s 2004 “Best of the Best,” for the Harvest Collection. The Pierrot & Pierrette Collection was included and featured on the front cover the following year; and in 2007 the breathtaking Diamond and Sapphire Celestial Collection was among the winners ($150,000).

Shortly set to appear is the Valhalla Collection. Literally translated, Valhalla (val-höll-ah) means “Hall of the Slain,” and is in essence a Viking heaven, or “otherworld,” into which Norse warriors pass upon leaving this life. A great structure—much like the Coliseum in Rome, though inconceivably more vast—it has 640 doorways, through each of which 960 champions can march shoulder to shoulder. Rafters are enormous spear shafts, tiles are shields of gold, and here fallen champions spend all day gaming and fighting one another in battle. At the end of the day, the dead and wounded are all healed, so they can spend the night feasting on the flesh of a boar whose flesh never diminishes, and drinking wine or mead from the udders of a magic goat.

In Valhalla, three Viking gods reign. Appropriately, there are three distinct subgroups in the collection, one for each member of the Nordic trinity, Odin, Thor, and Frey, and each will have its own colour variation. Odin: opaque black, and translucent blue & white Hard Enamel with rhodium vermeil. Thor: opaque black, and translucent grey & white Hard Enamel with rhodium vermeil. Frey: opaque black, and translucent red and white Hard Enamel with gold vermeil.

Responding to the periodic suggestions that David Oscarson produce less expensive versions of his spectacular scriveners’ instruments, an elderly lady of modest means once entreated him with the following exhortation: “Don’t you dare do such a thing. I saved for quite some time, just to be able to purchase one of your extraordinary pens. It is a treasure, and I do not wish to have adulterated copies floating about.” This encounter served but to further deepen Mr. Oscarson’s commitment to producing only the finest writing implements possible, treasures, heirlooms, works of fine art; something to be handed down from one generation to the next.

Because of the workmanship and time it takes to produce each individual piece, all pen collections are issued in only severely limited numbers. “The Patek Philippe of pens”: a great and rare compliment indeed. To David Oscarson, however, it is not cause for hubris, but rather a challenge, to continue to seek ways to improve his artistry, while never ceasing to present his clientele with the most superbly designed, and finely engineered pens in the world. For him it is as much a matter of family allegiance as devotion to creative integrity, for Oscarson's long-term goals are those rooted in a heritage of kinship and tradition, both to the mythoi of his ancestors, and to the mastery and mystery of man's inborn wont to craft beautiful things to surround "this [his] earthly habitation."