Chris Asteriou: Sandblasted Natural Billiard (1041/21) Tobacco Pipe

This straight Billiard from Greek carver Chris Asteriou pays homage to the Dunhill "LB" shape, and with a stout shank, generous bowl, and sleek, tapered stem, it's quite faithful to that original form. The bowl tapers just slightly as it falls toward a voluptuous heel, the taper giving an ideal surface on which to display excellent stacks of ring grain. It's dressed in a natural tanblast, the light hues accentuating crisp undulations of growth rings, again with a nod to Dunhill's Tanshell finish, rendered here in fine form. Blasted birdseye packs the top of the shank, the heel, and the rim, the latter with a discrete, smooth chamfer on the inside edge to assist in tobacco loading. With plenty of stimulating texture, it provides an enjoyable in-hand presence and much for finger pads and curious eyes to explore. For any fans of Chris Asteriou's work who are looking for a classically inclined straight Billiard, you can't do better than this.