Ashton: Pebble Grain Acorn (XX) Tobacco Pipe

William "Bill" Ashton Taylor began working for Dunhill in 1959 at 15 years old, manning one of the legendary English marque's lathes after a lengthy apprenticeship. During his time at the White Spot, Bill absorbed all the secrets of the craft he could from their experienced carvers, coming into his own as a carver and marking the start of a lengthy career. After feeling the need to start his own company, Bill founded Ashton pipes in 1983, going into business for himself and holding his work to extremely strict standards of quality that have earned the Ashton name an excellent reputation. William passed away in 2009, entrusting Ashton's production to Jimmy Craig, his protege, who has maintained the stringent standards of his predecessor, creating pieces with timeless appeal and classic charm. This Acorn is a rather sleek rendition of the shape, with a wide transition that here gives way to a compressed, ovoid shank-and-stem combination. The compression of the shank and stem here is accentuated by the length of the pair, additionally balancing the presence of the bowl. Said bowl sits atop a rounded heel and flares out to a high-set waistline, an understated ridge marking a slight taper up to the rim as the entire build cants forward dynamically. Dressed in the earthy sandblast of the Pebble Grain series, this pipe showcases some handsome grain throughout, with the bowl displaying rippling growth rings through its circumference.