As London’s teenagers knife and gun each other down; the massively talented singer Amy Winehouse collapses with a suspected dose of TB and the nights start closing in again, one Sean Gumbleton has brought a ray of sunshine to my work station.

Sean is a press officer for Conway Stewart, ‘the world’s pre-eminent luxury pen maker based in Devon,’and he has emailed me to say that his company has ‘invented the perfect writing instrument.’

He continues:

‘It’s not everyday that something entirely new happens in the world of quality writing instruments, but this is the next step in Luxury Pen design – The “Evolution.”

‘Typically three things are very important in choosing the perfect luxury pen. They are Weight, Balance and Aesthetics. Weight and Aesthetics are very much personal choice but until now there has been no convenient way to adjust the centre of gravity of a pen to your own personal preference.

‘Conway Stewart has completed a three year program to develop this unique and revolutionary system that allows the user to adjust the balance of the pen to suit their individual handwriting style.

‘This is achieved from an integral adjustment that shifts the centre of gravity from the front to the back of the pen depending on your preference. If you use your pen extensively this can reduce fatigue and help produce consistency. It can also be used to produce heavier or lighter strokes to complement and enhance your personal writing style.’

He’s clearly using one himself.