http://www.calligraphy.co.uk/about_1.php

got the pens and nibs, but not the skill!
was hoping for a somewhat swifter solution...

http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/canadatype/mayfair/gallery.html

thanks, but its got to be a match,
or so close as to be almost indistinguishable
from the original...

You are welcome.

I don't think this is a script face. It seems like an italic of some serif font. I am looking for anything with this kind of 'z'.

- Mike Yanega

thanks -- much appreciated!

I have been unable to find any italic face with this kind of 'z', which drives me to consider if the 'z' is transplanted from a script face. For example, the 'z' from Edwardian Script seems quite close.

Then, I think, the quest is which italic matches the rest of these letters. One candidate I think might be Caslon 540 italic. You would need to tweak the i and remove the b serif, and then I think it would be hard to distinguish from your sample.

This is admittedly a compromize approach, but it might meet your criteria "its got to be a match, or so close as to be almost indistinguishable from the original". Side-by-side comparison is usually too strict a criteria, I think. Look at one and then the other, and see if you think the appearance seems the same.

- Mike Yanega

Looks a bit like the Cartier logo.