Smooth Billiard with Juma Tobacco Pipe

With a background in design and architecture, Greek artisan Chris Asteriou started making pipes in 2007. He takes inspiration from typical Anglo-French shapes, using dried Greek briar and German ebonite to form his pipes. His unique sense of proportion and line make his work unique, and though he is self-taught as far as pipes are concerned, there's no doubt that Chris' background prepared him to be a master artisan.

This Billiard shows off excellent flame grain all the way around the lightly tapered bowl, brightly stained to allow the tendrils to show through as dark brown and a light walnut shade bordering on orange, both shades stretching all the way from the heel to the rim. More tendrils decorate the sides of the round shank, with birdseye on the heel, top of the shank, and dotting the bowl's flat rim. The smooth finish catches the light beautifully, and the bowl is slightly canted forward from the shank to give a unique profile. Cream-colored Juma forms the accent that caps the shank, and a slender, vulcanite saddle stem finishes the piece. The color and orientation of the grain are eye-catching here, but Chris' great sense of craftsmanship is what makes this piece a truly great work of briar and vulcanite.