Ashton: Sovereign Bent Billiard with Silver Army Mount (LX) Tobacco Pipe

While Ashton is known for their craggy, well-executed sandblasts, carver Jimmy Craig is certainly equally talented when it comes to producing smooth finishes, as seen with this bent Billiard. A quite hearty, thick-walled piece with a generous chamber depth, the bowl is lent a bit more plumpness to the heel, with a subtle taper to the rim. It's paired to an equally stout, upwardly curling shank, the transition allowing plenty of room to leisurely drape a thumb. A bright silver army mount adds a dash of flash and allows the pipe to be broken down, even when hot. It's topped by a strikingly colorful vulcanite stem of fetching orange and black hues, complementing the smooth, grain-amplifying, natural stain of the Sovereign finish. This is a fine, lightweight English pipe, writ large, and fits voluptuously in hand.