Jacono: Rook Bent Ball (E) (Checkmate) Tobacco Pipe

In 1981, Tonino Jacono's father-in-law extended an offer to start a new pipe making workshop, his father-in-law providing high-quality briar from his job at a briar-cutting mill, his brother shaping the pipes, and Tonino himself doing the finishing. The idea was developed further, and, two years later, the first Jacono pipes were made in 1983 from out of the family's small workshop in Jesi, Italy. Tonino's start at this new venture was guided by a simple principle: offer pipes of the highest possible quality at the best possible price. Tonino now heads the company and has taken on carving responsibilities himself, staying true to his original goal, though benefiting from more than three decades of pipe making experience and a reputation for excellence. It's very seldom that Jacono presents us with interpretations of the Ball shape, bent or otherwise, which makes this bent example quite the rare one. Immediately, the first part of this pipe that leaps out at me is its impressively rotund bowl, staying true to its namesake with its intensely spherical construction that provides a wealth of curves for the hand to appreciate. A wide transition gives way to a comparatively slender shank that tapers as it lifts toward a demurely curved saddle stem. The vast expanse of the bowl affords the stummel plenty of room to showcase a light, grain-defining stain courtesy of the Rook finish, unveiling a wealth of wrapping flame grain through the flanks.