Dunhill: Shell Briar White Spot Bent Billiard with Silver (120) (F/T) (3146) (2021) Tobacco Pipe

The White Spot series resurrects vintage Dunhill shapes and adorns them with the English marque's old-school stamping conventions and a band of sterling silver emblazoned with "The White Spot." The classic "120" bent Billiard is presented here, and it displays the fluid, reaching "swan-neck" style of S-curve made famous by the iconic "LC" bent Billiard. This Group 5-sized piece features a tall, muscular bowl that houses a capacious chamber within its thick insulating walls, and the stout proportions of the bowl continue through the firm shank-and-stem arrangement. The stummel wears the dark, rugged Shell Briar sandblast, which accentuates the natural grain orientation of the briar and is complemented by the tapered mouthpiece of jet-black vulcanite and a bright sterling silver accent.

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.