Bhutan - Mechanical Pencil – Himalayan Yew (Kirangshing)

Handcrafted Mechanical Pencil – Himalayan Yew (Kirangshing) | Chrome Fittings

A pencil with a story written into its very grain.

This is no ordinary mechanical pencil. The body is turned from Himalayan Yew — known in Bhutan as Kirangshing — a wood that I personally collected during a photography expedition to Nepal and Bhutan in October 2025. Every time you pick this up to sketch, journal, or jot a note, you're holding a piece of the Eastern Himalayas itself.

The Wood

Himalayan Yew grows at altitude across the high ridges and forested slopes of the Himalayas, shaped by thin soils, fierce winters, and air that most of us rarely breathe. The result is a timber of extraordinary character — dense and fine-grained, with a warm palette of golden ambers, honey tones, and rich reddish-brown hues threaded through with darker grain streaks that tell the story of the tree's long, hard life in the mountains. It takes a finish beautifully, polishing to a smooth, almost silky surface that's a genuine pleasure to hold.

In Bhutanese culture, Kirangshing is considered a sacred wood — one associated with resilience, spiritual strength, and longevity. Buddhist monasteries throughout Bhutan have traditionally used it for ritual objects and sacred carvings. That heritage is quietly present in every pen I make from it.

The Pencil

Mounted in bright chrome fittings, this twist-advance mechanical pencil pairs the organic warmth of the wood beautifully with the cool precision of polished metal. The knurled chrome grip section gives confident control whether you're writing at a desk or sketching on location, while the push-top crown mechanism and elegant chrome clip complete the package. It's functional, refined, and unmistakably handcrafted.

Provenance

The timber was sourced directly by me during my travels through Nepal and Bhutan — a trip combining landscape photography with material collecting in some of the most spectacular mountain scenery on the planet. This isn't a wood you'll find in any UK timber yard. It's genuinely rare, and the number of pens I can make from it is strictly limited by what I was able to bring back.

Details

• Mechanism: Twist-advance mechanical pencil. There is a sharpener inside the top fitting that you insert the graphite into and twist.
• Fittings: Bright chrome
• Material: Himalayan Yew (Kirangshing), sourced in Bhutan, October 2025
• Finish: Hand-applied high speed polish
• Handcrafted in the West Midlands by Covntree Turner
• Member of the Guild of Master Craftsmen & International Association of Penturners