Dunhill: Shell Briar with Silver (4111) (2022) Tobacco Pipe

Dunhill's "11" Lovat is an archetypal example of the shape, the English marque crafting some of the most proportionally balanced renditions of the classic profile that I know of. Essentially a Billiard with an extended shank and a trim saddle stem, this shape is one that is deceptively difficult to craft well, as all of the lines must be clean and the proportions spot on. The White Spot achieves this seemingly with ease, the bowl sitting pert atop a rounded heel and balanced at the end of its lengthy shank with poised grace. This particular iteration of the shape is part of a special series from Dunhill, one which wears the iconic Shell Briar sandblast but pairs its dark, inky hues with a cumberland stem and a textured band of silver at the junction, the smooth, inward-sloping rim stained a ruby color that matches the stem well.

The Shell Briar's addition to the Dunhill catalog was a pivotal moment in pipe-smoking history. Before 1917, pipes with sandblasted finishes had never been made, and Alfred Dunhill's innovative mind created arguably the most popular finish for pipes today when he unveiled the Shell Briar. With its dark, reserved color palette and delightful texture, it's no surprise that it's still wildly popular over a century later.