Dunhill: Shell Briar Quaint Bent Billiard with Silver (4) (2021) Tobacco Pipe

Dunhill's bent Billiard renditions are nothing short of classics, with their sinuous forms being influential enough to inspire shape charts from around the world. This, however, is not one of those bent Billiards. Indeed, it is a Quaint, meaning that it differs from their standard shape chart, something you can plainly see even by a passing glance. This piece showcases a much more demure curvature about it, with a fairly straight shank and a gently downturned stem. Additionally, we see a fairly tall bowl paired to said shank, standing proud on a pronounced heel and holding a respectable chamber. Dressed in the dark, inky stain of the Shell Briar sandblast and paired to a trim band of silver at the shank end, this pipe is elegant and sure to appeal to fans of the White Spot's more unique pieces.

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.