Ah, the humble beauty of the Pink Pearl eraser. Trademarked in 1937 but with much deeper roots, the ubiquitous eraser has followed many of us through our childhoods and into our adult lives.
As Alexander Isley Inc. details, part of the magic of the Pink Pearl is its ergonomic grip, its beveled edges that make it do what it was designed to do flawlessly, and its color, which makes it pop on a desk in times of its most dire need.
Isley and co. love a good Pink Pearl—so they designed a notepad pack to celebrate it.
As the studio notes, practical erasure aside, as an object, it has a solid background to boot:
“What came to be known as the Pink Pearl was developed in Germany in 1848 when pencil maker Kaspar Faber discovered that graphite marks could be removed from paper by using a special blend of rubber and Italian volcanic ash.
“His invention worked both mechanically and chemically. The pumice in the ash adhered to the graphite, helping the rubber to clean the paper surface. This formula also gave his eraser its unique small and distinctive pink color. It’s a classic embodiment of good design, which for us is not just what something looks like, but what it does.
“We’ve been thinking a lot about erasing lately. And we figure today is the perfect day to share this with you as a little pink pearl of encouragement.”
The studio used its in-house 3D printer to engrave the Pearls—and you can get your hands on one by sending an email to the address here. (But do so fast! Supplies are limited; moreover, to be the first to know about such items in the future, sign up for the studio’s email list here.)
There are many things we would love to erase from the world—hate, inequality, the events of the past days, and on and on. Were it only a Pink Pearl that could do so.
In the meantime, we’ll continue to escape into its simple elegance.