In addition to being beautifully shaped, with almond wide sides and a nearly imperceptibly pinched heel which flows languidly into a scarcely arched shank and stem, this lightweight, elegantly dainty pipe is stunning on a variety of accounts. As a master of rusticated surfaces, the shallow, dense and uneven texture Rolando has wrangled out of the posterior side of the composition is highly suggestive of some kind of volcanic or basaltic compound. The ruggedness is a nice play against both the bright, polished face of the bowl and rim, as well as the simple silver band that adorns the shank terminus. In terms of all around gorgeousness, this pipe has a lot going for it.
-- Ted Swearingen
