G. Penzo: Rusticated Nosewarmer Billiard with Boxwood (A) Tobacco Pipe

An Industrial Designer by trade and currently serving as Peterson's in-house Pipe Specialist, Giacomo Penzo has spent much of his working life invested in crafting tools and instruments to work to their highest potential. Such skill combines well with his artistic eye to fashion beautiful pipes supported by long-lasting quality and exemplary engineering, and his personal shaping style runs the gamut from traditional pieces to more avant-garde designs.

Though originally from Italy, Penzo's shaping style isn't overtly Italian à la historic Italian workshops like Castello or Radice. Instead, his work often merges Danish and American design sensibilities with his own creative acumen. This Nosewarmer Billiard, however, does bear a distinctly Italian disposition, especially considering the rusticated finish — a finish beloved and perfected by many Italian workshops. In Italian neoclassical fashion, this piece's proportions are increased, with a stout shank and a firm heel, yet the overall profile remains compact and convenient for practical use. Free of stain, the rusticated briar will patinate as it's smoked, darkening over time to align with the cumberland stem and emphasize the pale tones of the boxwood accent.