How To: Making a Dip Pen Wand

The goal—dip pen wand

Gather supplies—dip pen, crystal (clear quartz), ribbon, hot glue gun

Clean and remove corrosion

Add hot glue

Gently place crystal in glue

Place ribbon vertically along pen shaft with enough loose to make a bow

Ribbon flat, wrap up the crystal

And back down to the loose end

Tie a bow

A matched set

I like to repurpose things whenever possible, and I love vintage dip pens, which led to the idea of dip-pen wands. The most difficult part has been finding crystal points that are small enough to fit, but still large enough to be a little showy. That part is up to you—once you've found your supplies, here's how to put them together.

1. Gather your supplies—You'll need a vintage dip pen, an appropriately sized crystal (clear quartz in this case), a length of ribbon (I use 4mm black silk, but other types will work), and a hot glue gun.

2. Clean out the barrel if there's any corrosion.

3. Add just enough hot glue to fill the barrel. Place the crystal in, gently, and allow the glue to surround it. Don't press too hard or it will make a mess and won't stick properly.

4. When it's in firmly, lay the ribbon vertically along the pen shaft, the top touching the hot glue to keep it in place (you may need to add another small bead if it's too dry). Leave the free end long enough to make a bow when you're done.

5. Keeping the ribbon flat, wrap it up the crystal as far as you want to go. Then, still keeping it flat, wrap it back down to the loose end.

6. Tie a knot then a bow. Done.

Now you have a delicate wand with some history. The original owner of both these dip pens believed they were owned by Ernest Eugster, Executive Commissioner for Switzerland at the Sydney and Melbourne International Exhibitions in 1880, Commissioner of the Swiss Court at the Adelaide Exhibition in 1882, and co-founder of the Swiss Special Settlement near Pukekohe, New Zealand.