English Estates: Dunhill Ruby Bark (4217) (2008) Tobacco Pipe

In handy Group 4 size, this "17" Bulldog from Dunhill pairs a stocky, low-lying bowl to a diamond shank and a saddle stem of jet-black vulcanite. The thoroughly muscular design features the form's characteristic tapered rim and wrapping ridgeline, the latter of which is crisply rendered to mirror the structural lines of the shank. The striking Ruby Bark sandblast dresses the stummel and accentuates the natural grain orientation of the briar, while a sterling silver band accents the junction and provides a dose of flash to the composition.

Dunhill's Ruby Bark finish is one that's gone through a fairly extensive evolution since its inception in 1972. It began as the Redbark and has always remained a red-stained sandblast, but the color was brightened a few years after its introduction before Dunhill returned to the original, darker hue in 1976. Eventually, though, the Redbark was discontinued in 1987. After a hiatus of several decades, the same ruby-stained sandblast was re-imagined in the form of today's Ruby Bark finish, adding to the rich aesthetic crisp accents of sterling silver for a colorful presentation that still retains a high level of formality.