Askwith: Sandblasted Billiard Tobacco Pipe

A pipe smoker since 2006, Chris Askwith got his start in the craft of pipe making by translating his expertise as a silversmith to restoring estate pipes. After a chance encounter in 2007 at a pipe club meeting, Askwith was able to borrow tools from a fellow pipe maker for the opportunity to create what would be his first pipes. After selling these pipes, Askwith used the revenue to outfit his workshop in Plymouth, England, where he now makes all of his pipes by hand. Askwith's style takes Anglo-French shape standards and imbues them with playful twists, experimenting with finishes and proportions while still retaining precision in design.

This lightweight Billiard from Askwith thoroughly illustrates the English carver's stylistic sensibilities, featuring a lissom, well-measured build of the classic shape within a striking presentation. A pert, petite bowl stands at the fore of the composition, with slim walls rising straight from the rounded heel toward the slightly chamfered rim. From a subtly defined transition, a slender, balanced shank stretches out back, adorned with a metal accent band as it meets a sleek, tapered stem of orange-and-blue striped acrylic. In contrast to the stem's vibrant hues, the stummel wears a dark, crisp sandblast, save for the rim, which is finished with a smooth, glossy stain.