Ken: I love your work and all of the innovative ideas. Even went so far as to lay down some hard cash for a S&S kit which turned out very nicely.....too nicely, actually, as it now resides in a pocket other than my own!!
Guess I am a minority of one and don't care for the new effort. Sorry, but I gotta call it like I see it. Technically, of course, it appears to be up to your usual high standards. However, my feeling is that the inlay is much too large/coarse for the pen and totally overpowers it. I think a half sized inlay(or thereabouts) would be a more subtle presentation and much more appealing to the eye.
As to the orientation, it is not a big deal; but it just looks upside down to me and when in use with the cap posted that impression is reinforced. I suspect that you experimented with both orientations and preferred the one presented. If so, it would be interesting to hear why you decided on the existing configuration. Thanks.
All of the above is just one man's opinion, of course. Take it for what it is worth.