A high-quality pen begins as raw materials: brass rod, gold sheet, engineered resin. Each component is machined and turned to tight tolerances prior to assembly. Barrel and cap are lathe-turned and polished through progressive grits; metal fittings are stamped, milled, and plated separately. The nib requires the greatest labor: stamped from gold sheet, tipped with an iridium-group alloy harder than the gold itself, then split, ground, and tested for ink flow by hand under magnification. It is adjusted and re-tested until it meets specification. The pen is then assembled manually, inked, and written with before it leaves the bench.