World's 10 most expensive pens

The history of pens dates back to 4,000 BC, when people used crude instruments for writing -- consisting of hollow straws or reeds that carried some liquid, says penscollection.com. In 500 BC, people began to make pens from the wing feathers of such birds as geese and swans.

The shaft of the feathers was hardened and the tip was shaped and slit to make writing easy. These feather pens were known as quill pens, and they were widely used until the development of steel-nib pens in the 1800s.

By the late 1800s, inventors had perfected an early version of the fountain pen. This pen represented a major improvement over previous pens, because it featured an ink reservoir and a capillary feed. After several modifications, pens attained the current form. Companies across the world started experimenting further to come up with some really pricey ones.

To know about world's 10 most expensive pens, read on...

1. The Limited Edition Mystery Masterpiece

A joint creation between Mont blanc and Van Cleef & Arpels, this is the most expensive writing pen ever created. It costs $730,000!

Each pen has 840 diamonds and more than 20 carats of gemstones set in a Van Cleef & Arpels patented 'Mystery Setting' that conceals the stone settings. There are three variations of the pen, set either with rubies, sapphires or emeralds, and accented by diamonds. Artisans took over 18 months to create this pen.

Image: The Limited Edition Mystery Masterpiece.