BENU Tessera Black Amber Fountain Pen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)When I think of BENU, I think of bright colors, glitz, glam, sparkle, and pizzazz. The Lisa Frank of pens. So I did a double-take when this elegant writing instrument crossed my screen. We've still got the glitter--always the glitter!--but it's tempered by a formal, almost minimal (for BENU) black resin and gold accents. It's like a grown-up version of BENU and I like it just as much as I like the glowing neon they're known for. The Tessera line from BENU is so called because of the textured grid pattern that mimics the tesserae of ancient mosaics. It's particularly striking in this smoky acrylic as each facet catches the light. The surface has a matte texture, while the cut-ins are polished, which accents its unique finish. The finial, cap band, and grip section are all in an amber colored clear…