Chris Asteriou: Sandblasted '03' Bent Apple with Horn (24/19) Tobacco Pipe

It's no secret that Chris Asteriou has a fondness for classic English shapes, as evidenced by his numerous Billiard, Lovat, Liverpool, Rhodesian, and Cutty renditions. He's taken the classic inspiration a touch further though in this bent Apple, fashioning it after a specific shape from a specific, famous marque: Peterson's iconic "03" bent Apple.

The shape is easily recognized by its plump and robust bowl, poised on the end of a well-balanced S-curve out back. In his interpretation of the shape, the Greek carver has maintained Peterson's conventional muscularity about the bowl and transition, but has neatly tapered the shank end, adding a more elegant sense of line that flows easily into the slender stem curling above. It also features the same military mount and saddle stem construction as the Irish marque, but, again, Asteriou has fashioned it a touch trimmer, accentuating the bowl's plumpness, and has traded the metal mount for one of genuine horn. The use of such an accent keeps the color palette more reserved and devoid of flash, matching beautifully with Chris's conventional, dark-stained sandblast. Per the artisan's convention as well, he's crisply chamfered the innermost section of the rim, staining it a warm chestnut hue for the slightest hint of contrast.

This is a piece for those who love iconic, classic shapes yet desire the personal touch and expert craftsmanship of an artisan carver such as Chris. It's still very much a Peterson design, yet unmistakably the work of Asteriou.