Jared Coles Sandblasted Strawberry Wood Apple with Orangewood (2025) Tobacco Pipe

Jared Coles, one of the original founders of J&J Pipes, discovered his passion for artisan pipes while in college and has been captivated ever since. His carving style uniquely fuses the fluid, gestural qualities of Danish designs with the robust, compact musculature characteristic of American pipe making. This particular Apple exemplifies Coles' aesthetic approach. While the silhouette adheres to a classic form, it gains a contemporary edge through its carefully integrated accents and the use of varied materials. Rather than the customary briar, this piece is carved from strawberry wood, chosen for its grain patterns and tactile qualities reminiscent of briar. A pale band of orangewood along the junction further enhances its visual intrigue, an allusion to its fruit-inspired theme: Apple shape, strawberry wood body, and a citrus accent.

The shaping is familiar, with a plump, shortened bowl at the fore of a round shank and sleek saddle stem whose shoulder blends perfectly with the strip of wood along the junction. A light sandblast accentuates the strawberry wood's growth rings, which flow gracefully up the bowl and down the shank, reinforcing the organic motif. Overall, the profile is classic, a handsome showcase of the American carvers' work, with a playful organic theme... perhaps inspired by a fruit salad.