Esterbrook Estie Fountain Pen - Sea Glass/Gold
This comfortably balanced Estie Sea Glass, part of the regular lineup, is offered in a fountain pen with gold-plated trim. The material is blended and turned acrylic with a Sea Glass mix of colors and a highly-polished finish. A sleek clip provides a clean accent for the cap and slides easily into a shirt pocket. A cushion cap closure provides a secondary seal to ensure a wet point. Finally, the fountain pen is equipped with a #6 JoWo steel nib. The Estie fills via standard international cartridge or converter (included).
Note: JoWo is transitioning their nib designs from the old scroll pattern to a more simple design. Stock is currently mixed; what you receive may not necessarily match what is photographed.
“The sea once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” -Jacques Cousteau
Timeless takes time.
And so it is with the coveted coastal treasures that wash ashore during low tides all over the world, known as sea glass. Shaped over many sunrises and sunsets, these bits of colored glass drift for as many as two hundred years, weathering storms in the salt water, tossing and turning, Mother Nature’s own polishing that gives them their characteristically smooth, frosted texture.
Prominent in the Northeastern United States, beaches along the shores of New Jersey and New York can be found teeming with these heirlooms and artifacts of whiskey and spirits, trinkets, medicine bottles, dinnerware, jam jars, old taillights and if fortune finds you, a piece of an antique ink bottle.
First used decoratively at the turn of the last century, beachcombers seek out these little gems giving credence to the statement that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. A bounty of colors ranging from amber to green, black to pale pink and clear frost to the rarest turquoise blue, make sea glass a highly collectible commodity.
Click to shop all compatible short or long standard international ink cartridges.
- Condition
- New
- Brand
- Esterbrook
- Type
- Fountain Pens
- Color
- Green, Turquoise/Teal
- Demonstrator
Whether or not the barrel of the pen is translucent, allowing you to see the ink and filling mechanism inside.
- No
- Body Material
- Resin
- Cap Rotations
For pens with a screw-cap closure, how many rotations it takes to uncap/recap the pen.
- 1.75
- Cap Type
How the cap is opened/closed from the barrel of the pen. Some common options include Snap-Cap, Screw-Cap, Magnetic Cap, or Capless (no cap).
- Screw-cap
- Compatible inks & refills
Which ink this pen will accept. Choices include bottled ink and various styles of pre-filled ink cartridges.
- Bottled ink, Standard international short ink cartridges, Standard international long ink cartridges
- Filling Mechanism
How the pen fills with ink. Click here to watch our video tutorial on common filling mechanisms.
- Cartridge, Converter
- Grip Material
- Resin
- Nib Size
- Fine
- Nib Color
- Gold
- Nib Material
- Steel
- Postable
Whether or not the cap fits securely onto the back of the barrel when open.
- Yes
- Retractable
Whether or not the nib/tip can retract into the body of the pen (usually for click or twist-open style pens).
- No
- Diameter - Body
- 13.3mm (0.52in)
- Diameter - Cap (without clip)
- 15.2mm (0.60in)
- Diameter - Cap (with clip)
- 18mm (0.71in)
- Diameter - Grip (mm)
Measured from the place most people choose to rest their fingers, which varies with each pen.
- 10.8mm
- Length - Body
The measurement from the back end of the barrel to the tip of the nib.
- 127mm (5.00in)
- Length - Cap
- 70mm (2.76in)
- Length - Nib
The measured length of the visible portion of the nib when it is installed in the pen, from grip to tip.
- 22.8mm (0.90in)
- Length - Overall (Closed)
- 149.1mm (5.87in)
- Length - Overall (Posted)
When the cap of the pen is posted onto the back of the pen body, this is the measurement of the entire pen including the nib.
- 170.3mm (6.70in)
- Weight - Body
If a converter is included with the pen, this weight is reflected in the total.
- 17g (0.60oz)
- Weight - Cap
- 9g (0.32oz)
- Weight - Overall (g)
- 26.0g
- Max Ink Capacity - Cartridge
The maximum volume of ink that can fit in the pen when using a cartridge.
- 1.67ml
- Max Ink Capacity - Converter
The maximum volume of ink that can fit in the pen when using a converter.
- 1.13ml
Customer Reviews
This is my first Esterbrook; and, it has convinced me that there WILL be more, in my future.
The fine nib glides like silk; and, the lovely body of the pen looks as if it has been composed of sea glass; with the sturdiness of quality resin.
It looks so delicate; but, like it's namesake, it will definitely help me weather any storms; and, bask in the sunlight.
Love this pen! I have been wanting an Estie for a long time. Very smooth and beautiful! It has a fine nib, which is thicker than I usually use but good for sheening inks. Very pleased.
I love this pen. After using fountain pens all my life now, and having been through pens of all sorts of quality ; one thing I don't want to deal with anymore is a nib that dries out in a few weeks if you leave the pen in a drawer. I write a lot, but I have many pens now ; and sometimes they don't get to be in my daily rotation. So a pen that writes well after having been put aside for days/weeks/months : that's really what I expect from a good pen now. This Etsy checks all boxes !The cap seals very well, so no issue with the nib risking to dry up. No hard start even after two months in the drawer. I chose the pen in the "sea glass" colour, but I have to admit it was hard to choose because there are so many good colours. The Sea Glass model is soft, and pretty ; and it fares well with all blue, teal, green inks and everything in between. The F nib is smooth and wet - more like a true European F or an MF japanese nib, which I love. The pen is light in the hand (I usually don't post my pens so I don't know about posting this one), but still has a feel of quality in the hand. I prefer a lighter pen so that's perfect for me. The only "con" in my experience, is that there is a distinct "notch" when you close the twist cap. There is a spring in the cap that ensures that the inner cap seals perfectly around the nib. In my experience, this spring action is not smooth and you feel a "grind" when you twist the cap close. Other pens with this sort of mechanism (Platinum 3776 or Twsbi for example) close much more smoothly. I don't know if it is a general issue with Esterbrook, or just my specific pen, but it's not a very nice feeling. In any case it's not enough of a setback to justify taking one star off. So despite that little "gripe" , I love the pen and enjoy using it immensely. Thank you to the Goulet team for excellent customer service and for being such a good place to shop at ! I love how each item is described in detail !I recommend this pen if you want a pretty, user friendly, good writer !
My favorite of the available color options is the sea glass. The cap prevents nibs drying out. there is an inner hidden metal thread on the body to protect the resin from cracking between that and the nib unit. I got the F nib. Many edison Collier, opus 88 and FC nibs exchange with the Esterbrook nib to give me a wide variety of nib options. Its an outstandingly well engineered pen. I highly recommend it.
What a pretty pen. Not only is the sea glass inspired resin fitting of it's name, but the thought and care put into the design of this Estebrook pen make it a solid everyday writer. There's a spring in the cap that ensures a good seal, which prevents ink from drying out. A metal inset ensures the metal of the section won't strip the threads. The pen uses a #6 Jowo nib, so it's easy to buy an assortment of nib sizes for the pen. As far as I know, the Edison nib units are identical except for branding. Edison also sells a vintage adapter for the pen, meaning old Estebrook nibs can be used on the pen as well. It's as easy to clean and service as the Edison pens are, and it's comfortable to use for long periods of time due to being light and well balanced. I think it's well worth the price.
FAQs about Fountain Pens
How do I fill a fountain pen with ink?
It depends on the pen's filling mechanism, which you can find in the Technical Specs section above.
Here's a quick definition of the most common filling mechanisms:
- Cartridge - A small, disposable, sealed plastic reservoir that holds fountain pen ink. These come pre-filled with ink, and typically you just push to insert them into place and you'll be ready to write! Check out our quick guide here.
- Converter - A detachable and refillable ink reservoir that allows you to use bottled ink in a cartridge-accepting pen. Typically you will install the converter into the grip section, dip the nib/feed into the ink, and twist or pull the converter knob to draw ink into the converter. Here's a video for how to fill a cartridge/converter pen using a LAMY pen as an example.
- Eyedropper - A pen that utilizes the entire barrel as a reservoir for ink. Ink is directly filled into the barrel, allowing for a high ink capacity. Here's a video on how to do it!
- Piston - A type of filling system that uses a retracting plunger inside a sealed tube to draw ink into a pen. They are typically either twist or push-operated. These pens cannot accept cartridges or a converter, and only fill from bottled ink.
- Vacuum - A push-style piston that uses pressure to fill the large pen body with ink. They seal the ink chamber when closed, making it ideal for flying without risk of leaking. Check out our video on how to use a vac filler here.
Check out more info on these filling mechanisms including a video on how to fill each one on our blog.
How do I clean a fountain pen?
It depends on the filling mechanism, but it mostly comes down to flushing it out with water, and sometimes a little bit of Pen Flush if the ink is really stuck.
It's a bit easier to show than to tell, so we've put together a few quick videos showing you the process:
How often do I need to clean my fountain pen?
We recommend a good cleaning every 2 weeks, and any time you change ink colors.
Water will usually do the trick, but we recommend you use our Goulet Pen Flush if the ink has been left in the pen for a while and could have dried up, or when you’re switching ink colors.
My pen won’t write! What do I do?
First things first... make sure you have ink in the pen! Be sure that the ink cartridge or converter is seated properly in the pen, and that you aren't out of ink.
We always recommend you give your pen a good cleaning first, using our Goulet Pen Flush, or a drop of dish soap in some water. New pens often have some machining oil residue left in the feed, so a good cleaning often does the trick first.
If that still doesn't work, try priming the feed. This consists of either dipping your pen nib and feed in ink, or forcing ink from the converter down into the feed.
If it’s still not working after that, please reach out to us so we can help!
What's your return policy?
You can submit a return request within 30 days of your order date. You can read all our Return Policies here.
To initiate a return, please submit a request at the Return Portal. Our Customer Care team might reach out to you for more information.
Please note we are unable to accept a return of any Namiki or Sailor Bespoke fountain pen for any reason once it has been used with ink. Please thoroughly inspect and dry test the pen before use.