Italian Estates: Jacono Queen Paneled Billiard with Silver (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

Tonino Jacono got his start in pipe making in 1981 when he joined forces with his brother-in-law, who shared his interest in the craft, and his father-in-law, who owned a briar-cutting mill. At first, the trio would share in the pipes' production, with his father-in-law drilling the pipes, his brother-in-law shaping them, and Tonino finishing them. These days, however, Tonino heads production on his own, utilizing charmingly old-school tools and techniques and sustaining the workshop's legacy of excellent pipes at fair prices.

To indicate the caliber of each pipe he produces, Tonino uses a chess-themed grading system, with the relative value of each game piece corresponding to a different ranking for each pipe. In ascending order, each pipe is ranked as either Pawn (sandblasted), Knight (rusticated), Bishop, Rook, Queen, or King. As such, this paneled Billiard is quite an impressive piece with its Queen ranking.