Over a decade ago, in the hills of Northumberland, England, artist John Hersey began hand-making his own pastels. Gently hand-rolled and air-dried, each stick is as much an organic sculpture as it is a tool. Look closely at a stick and you may see the fine lines and fingerprints imparted by the pastels' creator. Each pastel takes on the tapered shape of the bowl of the maker's palms.

Hersey's unique color formulations contain only pure pigments in a cycle of related hues, instead of adding white or black to the colors. The result is intense, vibrant color application not muddied by the blending of colors. The color range is sublime overall and at moments astonishing. Unison Handmade Pastel Sets are packaged in a sturdy black cardboard box, with each pastel cradled and protected by foam.

Unison's pastels contain very little binder, making them truly soft and smooth. Pastels measure approximately 2-1/8"L x 5/8" Diameter (54 mm × 16 mm). Half sticks are 1"L x 1/2" Diameter (25 mm x 13 mm). Sticks vary slightly due to the hand-making process.