After achieving fame for creating a pen worth almost $90,000, a Kelowna man is making headlines again, this time in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Mervin Mascarenhas, a luxury pen maker, is the first Canadian to grace the cover of Millennium Millionaire Magazine. The magazine claims to be the leading luxury supplement covering the Middle East, Asia and parts of Europe and features princes and sultans who collect lavish frills.
Pens designed by Mascarenhas happen to be one of the high-end items sought after by high-profile, wealthy individuals, such as Abu Dhabi royalty HH. Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nayan of Abu Dhabi, which is what got the Kelowna resident into the magazine.
“I started making pens about 15 years ago,” said Mascarenhas. “At first, it was just a hobby after I lost my Montblanc years ago, a beautiful pen. When I went to the store to get a new one, it was so expensive that I decided I would just learn how to make my own.”
Starting with wood from Bermuda, where he previously resided, Mascarenhas began sourcing other materials to make a series of pens, one of which would be his Space Pen. Built in 2018, the one-of-a-kind Space Pen is comprised of pieces of meteorite brushed with moon dust and set with “interstellar gemstones” and rings in at the cost of $89,900.
It would be this pen that would garner the attention of sheiks and other opulent collectors.
Despite moving to Canada from Bermuda in 2004, Mascarenhas keeps in close contact with the country, often travelling back to visit.
Last year, despite the pandemic, he returned to Bermuda to give a pen to the Honorary JP-MP. Premier David Burt.
Most of Mascarenhas’ pens sell online, but there are six stores in Bermuda that carry his work.
Over the last two years, he has created a series of pens that revolve around Mother Nature, including one made from the wings of a Monarch butterfly.
On average, the pens cost between $200 to several thousand dollars.
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