Urano Fantasy Bent Dublin Tobacco Pipe

Ardor's use of color-- the stains, the acrylic used for stem and shank mount and the silver or woods used as adornments-- is central to its aesthetic. I love the pairing of the lightly stained rusticated bowl with the yellow-cream acrylic stem and shank mount. The visual transition is disrupted only by the silver mount between the acrylic ferrule and stem. The resulting composition is stunning: all of the various components work together, with little sense of contradiction or juxtaposition. I also love the way the smooth rim plays against the rusticated bowl of the pipe, contrasting textures (much as the silver or acrylic does), without really contrasting colors. It's all just a lovely combination.

-- Sykes Wilford