For the naturalist: a supreme, unfinished (or naked as we like to call it) Caran d'Ache pencil. This pencil's core is remarkably non-smudgy but also a little bit darker than your average HB. It's an understated version of a well-made, everyday pencil. Made in switzerland with a grade #2/HB, it runs a bit soft. Has a normal diameter for standard sketching and writing pencils within a hexagonal barrel. Comes pre-sharpened for immediate use. HB Lead. Made in Switzerland. Established in Geneva in 1915, Caran d’Ache is a privately owned family company, making pencils to the high Swiss standard. Considered somewhat of a luxury brand, they are known for creating the first water-soluble pencils and inventing the clutch pencil.