Jacono: Bishop Billiard 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. This straight Billiard showcases a good bit of neoclassical design through its profile, placing much of the visual weight on the robust bowl. Said bowl rises to over two inches in height and holds a capacious chamber within its thick, insulating walls which flare out very slightly to a plateau-crowned rim. These walls sit atop a firm heel, with the entire piece able to sit sturdily thanks to its flattened underside, the configuration here lending it a low-set transition. Said transition leaves plenty of room to drape a thumb, and gives way to an extended shank that takes on a sleek taper toward the black saddle stem, the shank itself dressed in a craggy rustication which contrasts the warm smooth finish of the bowl: courtesy of the Bishop line.