COFFEE WITH AURORA: LINDA DI FONZO, EXPORT MANAGER
1. How was a company like Aurora created?
Aurora was established in 1919 in Turin, Italy. It is a family company of four generations, which was dedicated since its creation to the art of writing, so we can say that “ink flows in our blood".
2. What are the main characteristics of Aurora products?
Quality, design, technology, craftsmanship and independence are the main values of our company, as we are in charge of the whole manufacturing process of our products, since their design until the last tests to check everything works perfectly.
3. Why do people agree that Aurora fountain pens have a distinctive element on the way they write?
The main distinctive characteristic of Aurora products is that they are created to write and therefore every detail in each fountain pen has been carefully outlined to offer the best writing experience.
Furthermore, we test each and every fountain pen, we charge them to check they work and carefully clean them to prepare them for sale.
4. Aurora is one of the few companies that makes everything of their fountain pens, from design to manufacture, how much time do they spend in creating each piece?
IIt depends mainly on the piece, but also on three additional factor: If it is a totally new product, if it features a new mechanism and on its nib. The manufacture time for each instrument can take from 3 to 18 months, which is the time we needed to create the Leonardo Da Vinci fountain pen as it features a completely different design and mechanism.
Now we are working on a very special instrument which will be unique and its elaboration will take us about a month.
5. Will it be a totally unique fountain pen?
Yes. Furthermore it will be the most expensive fountain pen in the world, valued at a million euros. It is a completely exclusive design as it will be fully covered in diamonds, one by one engraved by hand. Right now there are 6 people working on it.
6. Aurora works with a wide variety of writing articles, from fountain pens to sketch-pens, what drives you to create all these articles?
We want to offer our clients a wide range of products so that they are able to choose, but 70% of our sales come from fountain pens.
7. Do you still produce your own nibs?
Yes, and the whole manufacturing process is made in Italy.
8. What has changed in flexible nibs making them currently considered an element of special collections when in the past they were a regular element of almost all collections?(Croma, RE).
Aurora launched their first flexible nibs back in the 70's, but they were more complex and the audience did not know how to use them correctly so they were not very successful. Actually, Filippo Loghero, the NIB designer who has been working with us for 28 years has modified them making them easier to use and achieving their acceptance.
9. Have you considered the possibility of creating interchangeable flexible nibs that can be incorporated into current models of pens that don’t have these nibs?(Croma, RE).
Right now, these nibs will only be available in Limited Editions. Actually we have 17 different types of nibs and are working towards offering even more new nibs in future developments but we can't tell about it yet.
10. Now that you have added the Blue-Black color ink, are you planning to add more colors in the near future? Rafapa (RE).
Creating a new ink is a very long process, as depending on its chemical ingredients it may damage fountain pen nibs specially those which are made of gold. This is why, before launching the new Blue-Black ink we have been testing it for 3 months, making sure that it does not damage nibs.
11. Appart from the Aurora 88 Anniversary collection and the Blue-Black ink, will there be any other Aurora novelty for 2017?
Some of the main novelties that will mark this year in Aurora will be the new Limited Edition "Purgatorio" from the Dante Inferno collection, and 5 new demonstrator models. Furthermore, we are also working on novelties for 2019 as it will be a very special year because Aurora will turn 100 years.
12. Some people have discuss in forums that Aurora has changed their price strategy in USA, are you planning to do the same in Europe? Rafapa (RE).
At this stage there are no plans of changing the price strategy in Europe, as it was a decision taken because of the American market's characteristics and demands.
13. Do you have any Aurora Etiopía fountain pens still available? (Cipriano amateur,RE).
The Etiopia collection was undoubtfully a great success for the company, and even if they are actually discontinued we will maybe design a similar model in the future.
14. Is there any company that actually manufactures fountain pens for women? Are any of your fountain pens aimed at women?(Mikel, Sin Abrochar).
One of the main manufacturers of fountain pen for women is S.T Dupont.
We are adding new colours and sizes to approach a femenine audience. A couple of years ago we created the Velvet collection and are currently working on new designs aimed at women.
15. Besides its design, what other reasons would you give us to choose an Aurora fountain pen? (Ignacio_d Sin Abrochar).
As we have mentioned, our products are created to write and we pay the same attention and care to each of our products regardless of the kind of writing instrument they are and their price. We are really careful.
16. Would Aurora consider to create a fountain pen for the RelojesEspeciales forum?
Of course
17. Last year, the Aurora Museum opened in Turin, what can we find in it?
iIt is the biggest museum in Europe dedicated to writing. In it, apart from finding in Aurora's history and its most emblematic pieces you can also find pieces of the most important and significant brands in the history of fountain pens (Parker, Waterman, Montblanc...) It is a really special place, a must for writing lovers, we perform activities for both adults and kids.
18. Where is Aurora headed as a company?
We will keep manufacturing and creating writing instruments, thanks to our know-how and aimed at different types of clients and therefore, different prices.
19. How do you like your coffee?
II like Macchiato coffee, black, with a lot of cream and sugar.
20. What do you think awaits fountain pens as a daily writing instrument? As they have not only fought against ballpoints but, with the new Smartphone generation it seems like fountain pens will only be limited to luxury lovers and collectors.
Steve Jobs said: “If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do.”
II think that technology and writing has a lot in common, the main difference is that when you write you use your four senses… you smell ink you see your writing you hear the sound of the nib on the paper and you touch the paper where you are leaving a sign!
