Dunhill: Cumberland Calabash with Silver Tobacco Pipe

The dark sandblast and characteristic stem of the Cumberland finish are featured here on a deeply bent Calabash whose form defines the term "S-curve." Curling of transition and softly flared of bowl, this is a generous jaw-hanger of about Group 5 or 6 size. It poses an inherently striking silhouette but is made all the more eye-catching by the flashy addition of sterling silver, complemented by a polished ring of light-stained briar just below.

When Alfred Dunhill released his patented Shell Briar, he forever changed the pipe smoking world at large. Dunhill has often been credited with being the first to offer sandblasted pipes (arguably the most popular finish today), and the Cumberland finish further displayed Dunhill's innovative spirit. Well received after its release in 1979, the Cumberland series was named for the English marque's warehouse on Cumberland road, and the line's signature, brindled vulcanite stem became so iconic, the warmly striated material is now referred to simply as "cumberland."