English Estates: Askwith Sandblasted Rhodesian (S) (2012) (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

A silversmith by trade, Chris Askwith's journey into pipe making began, as many do, with his own smoking, taking up the pipe in 2006 and using his myriad of tools to restore estate pipes for his own use. In 2007, Askwith joined a pipe club where, by chance, he was afforded the opportunity to make his own smoking instruments using another member's tools. The money he earned from selling these pieces was used to outfit his own workshop with tools better suited to pipe making, and now Chris fashions handmade pipes full-time.

Chris Askwith is known for his use of alternative materials and vibrant palettes, often fashioning pipes from morta. While this muscular Rhodesian is crafted from briar, it's fitted with one of his signature colorful stems. The shape itself isn't one we see with frequency from Askwith, and most of those are of more moderate size. This particular 2012 rendition is short and extremely robust, the palm-filling, forward-canting bowl boasting quite the broad girth. Replete with twin beadlines and a rounded form, it's paired to a shortened, tapering shank and pale white mouthpiece for a strikingly compressed profile. The stummel is dressed in a warm tanblast, highlighting rippling growth rings, especially along the lower bowl.