Benni Jorgensen: Smooth Calabash with Silver (Swan) Tobacco Pipe

It should come as no surprise that this silver-studded Calabash from Benni Jorgensen has received the carver's highest grade of Swan. In form, it's an incredibly sinuous, deeply bent Calabash, with a gently flaring bowl, overhanging rim, and deep chamber within. The grain is nothing short of spectacular. The diminutive heel is filled with birdseye from which streak tongues of flame grain that extend all the way up the bowl's three inch-tall sides.

The most obviously impressive aspect of this piece, though, is the silver inlaid rim. To do this, Benni didn't simply inset the shards of silver and then buff them down until they were flush with the briar; that would've been disastrous. Instead, he had to carefully carve into the rim precise grooves of an exact depth in which to delicately set each piece of silver. This process took the Danish carver an entire work day to complete.

For an artisan who doesn't often utilize flashy accents or alternative materials, such a bold display as this is wonderfully shocking, and the story behind it makes it even more special. Earlier this year, Benni was married and fashioned his and his wife's silver wedding bands himself. He used the leftover silver to adorn the rim of this Calabash, making for a beautiful and deeply personal gift to whomever graces their pipe rack with this work of art.