Davide Iafisco: Smooth Apple with Horn Tobacco Pipe

A pocket-friendly Nosewarmer, this compact Apple from Davide Iafisco is a charming take on the timeless shape, and it's rendered with the same quality craftsmanship and handsome finishing and accenting detail one expects from his work. Davide has been carving pipes since 2010, studying with Teddy Knudsen and Claudio Cavicchi and having attended pipe-making seminars put on by Jeff Gracik and Adam Davidson. Short and muscular, this piece aligns with Danish renditions of classic English and French shapes. The plump-heeled bowl is gently rounded and tapers to the rim, the soft contours making for a comfortable fit in hand. Cheeking at the transition is followed by a rounded shank, with a dome-shaped horn accent lending a bit of organicism and lightening the composition. It's topped by a lean vulcanite stem that's stylishly commended by an expansion disc at its base, while the stummel is finished in an auburn contrast stain, showcasing a really gorgeous display of birdseye, the whorls saturating all flanks.