American Estates: J. Alan Smooth Paneled Acorn with Ivorite (1652) (2020) (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

Jeff Gracik of J. Alan pipes has become one of the most renowned artisans in American pipe-making and executes a wide range of designs with precision and exemplary fit and finish. His Acorns can range broadly in terms of styling, from gestural Danish-inspired pieces to svelte shapes with bamboo accents, but I am pretty sure this is the first time I have seen a paneled variant. The bowl is well rounded, with six paneled sides that taper to a neat hexagon for a heel spur. The shank is similarly hexagonal and mirrors the bowls curvature with its own upward-arcing profile.

A light stain and smooth finish let the briar's grain have center stage, allowing handsome tendrils of flame grain to dance up each paneled facet. The mouthpiece is a hand-cut, downturned saddle configuration of jet-black vulcanite, carefully matched to the shank's profile and precisely shaped about the lip button, and a pale Ivorite accent neatly divides stem and stummel. Perhaps best of all, this pipe has never been smoked.