BriarWorks: Original Dark Rusticated with White Stem (OR04) Tobacco Pipe

Designed by Bill Shalosky, one of BriarWorks' craftsman and an artisan pipe maker himself, the "OR4" shape is a stocky bent Dublin that exhibits Bill's personal shaping style. His artisan portfolio prioritizes pipes that display a hearty sense of muscularity, but one that's softened by elegant curves and rounded edges, resulting in an aesthetic that's firm and substantial yet supple and inviting. The "OR4" presents these design cues with a slight S-curve through the stem and shank and a bowl that flares into a slightly inflated rim. Said bowl maintains thick insulating walls, and the composition is cohered by the profile's consistently undercurve: The underside of the shank reveals a parabolic arc that continues seamlessly into the bowl's fore, while the sharp angle of the transition adds a dose of contrasting crispness.

As the name suggests, BriarWorks' Classic series comprises iconic, shape-chart standards and represents the workshop's standard-production lineup. While every BriarWorks stummel is carved on CNC (computer numerical control) machines based on pre-established templates for consistent shaping across renditions, the stem-fitting and finishing processes are entirely hand-applied by the American workshop's team of artisans: Pete Prevost, Bill Shalosky, and Micah Redmond. All three men are artisan pipe makers in their own rights, and BriarWorks' production model of combining mass-production processes with hand-applied, artisanal techniques results in modestly priced pipes with the engineering and aesthetic quality of handmade work. This particular example wears the workshop's Dark rusticated finish, offering a crisp, wire-brushed texture.