A.T. Cross is using the power of the pen to help stop gun violence in war-torn regions of Africa. Partnering with social good company Fonderie 47, Cross is launching the Peerless Fonderie 47 Collector’s–Edition Rollerball Pen, which is made in part from AK47 assault rifles.
In addition, each Peerless Fonderie 47 Collector’s-Edition Roller-ball Pen purchased funds the destruction of one assault rifle in Africa.
This special-edition rollerball pen supports Fonderie 47’s mission to stop gun violence by reducing the supply of available assault rifles in Africa. The Fonderie 47 company, which transforms AK47s from war torn regions of Africa into luxury accessories, is responsible for the removal of more than 55,000 assault rifles from circulation in Africa.
“In the last 20 years, wars on the African continent have resulted in the loss of millions of lives. The widespread availability of assault rifles has played a significant role in these ongoing tragedies,” said Peter Thum, Founder and CEO, Fonderie 47. “This fall we are happy to partner with Cross again to help bring an end to violence with the release of the collector’s edition of the Peerless Fonderie 47.”
Cross and Fonderie 47 previously collaborated on a successful limited edition pen in 2015. For the current edition, the two groups worked together to evolve the aesthetic of the pen to reflect design elements of the weapon itself. Each pen features black PVD plating with 23KT gold-plated appointments, a disk of blackened steel from a melted-down AK47 gun embedded in its cap and the unique serial number of the gun that was destroyed to create the writing instrument.
The Fonderie 47 team spent a year and a half in conflict zones in Africa negotiating to safely and legally obtain confiscated assault weapons. Once secured, the guns were melted down by a local blacksmith and then the team transported them back to the US.
The next phase of the project took root in Brooklyn, NY, where they built a forge and engaged an American blacksmith to remake the gun steel into new ingots from which the signature Fonderie 47 pieces for the pens could be created.
The craftsmen at Cross used the blackened AK47 gunmetal to create the fine details of the recycled steel Fonderie 47 logo which is inset into the cap of this new edition to the Peerless collection.
The Cross Peerless Fonderie 47 Collector’s-Edition Rollerball Pen, priced at $350, will be unveiled in Cannes in the Cross booth – Red Village L20. It will be available with select operators worldwide.
