Medical Ball Point Pen, USA
Medical Ball Point Pen by Five-Ash - American Made!
This unique stylis pen is handcrafted of natural wood. The caduceus is the traditional symbol of Hermes and features two snakes winding around an often winged staff. It is often mistakenly used as a symbol of medicine instead of the Rod of Asclepius, especially in the U.S.
The two-snake caduceus design has ancient and consistent associations with trade, eloquence, trickery, and negotiation. Tangential association of the caduceus with medicine has occurred through the ages, where it was sometimes associated with alchemy and wisdom.
Although we do not sell by specific wood species, the varity of wood products used in these pens will include:
Cocobolo Wood - a tropical hardwood of the tree Dalbergia retusa from Central America. Only the heartwood is used and can typically be orange or reddish-brown in color, often with a figuring of darker irregular traces weaving through the wood. Cocobolo is oily in look and feel which lends a strong, unmistakable floral odor even to well seasoned wood and occasionally stains the hands with prolonged exposure.
Wenge Wood - a tropical timber, very dark in color with a distinctive figure and a strong partridge wood pattern. The wood is heavy and hard, suitable for flooring and staircases. Several musical instrument makers employ Wenge in their products. Alembic Guitars have used this wood on numerous occasions for custom instruments. The wood is especially sought after in the manufacture of high-end wood canes and is sometimes used in the making of archery bows, particularly as a laminate in the production of flatbows. It can also be used in the making of rails or pin blocks on hammered dulcimers.
Leopardwood Wood - Flaky, speckled figure with dark flecks, varying from a small lacelike pattern to a larger splashy figure. Moderately hard. Leopardwood is native to Central and South America. It is characterized by conspicuous flecking over a medium to dark reddish brown base giving this wood its namesake.