Il Duca: Sandblasted Acorn (C) Tobacco Pipe

The man behind Il Duca pipes, Max Rimensi is an Italian carver, but his work takes inspiration from various schools of design. His portfolio boasts classic interpretations of shape-chart standards, highly organic designs, and whimsical Freehands, but no matter the form his pipes take, they're all unified by Rimensi's incredible engineering, handsome finishing work, and raw creativity. This Acorn is the perfect example of his style, and it merges the organic with the minimalist in a unique way that captures the eye.

The pert bowl stands proudly at the fore of a svelte, arrow-straight shank-and-stem arrangement. The bulbous bowl inflates rapidly toward its rim and high-set waistline, while the low-lying transition coupled with the trimness of the shank-and-stem arrangement keep the visual weight of the composition anchored mostly up front. The design is lightweight and comfortable in hand, which should ensure easy clenching between the teeth, especially given the stem is fashioned from vulcanite. It's handsomely dressed in a crisp, red and black sandblast that provides ample texture for the fingers to explore and brings vivid definition the natural grain orientation of the briar.