Dunhill: Ruby Bark (5122) (2023) Tobacco Pipe

Rustic and muscular, this Dunhill "22" Poker is an impressive rendition of a shape-chart standard, elevated by Dunhill's eye for detail. Featuring a wide chamber and thick walls, the bowl of this Group 5 piece rises into a sturdy, upright cylinder as it sits atop a flattened heel. The shank pushes out from a slightly elevated transition to meet a sleekly tapering stem of black vulcanite, the thickness of the combination balancing some of the visual weight of the bowl. Dressed in the vibrant sandblast of the Ruby Bark finish, the stummel showcases handsome grain, while the silver accent at the junction offers rich contrast.

Dunhill's Ruby Bark finish is one that's gone through a fairly extensive evolution since its inception in 1972. It began as the Redbark and has always remained a red-stained sandblast, but the color was brightened a few years after its introduction before Dunhill returned to the original, darker hue in 1976. Eventually, though, the Redbark was discontinued in 1987. After a hiatus of several decades, the same ruby-stained sandblast was reimagined in the form of today's Ruby Bark finish, adding to the rich aesthetic crisp accents of sterling silver for a colorful presentation that still retains a high level of formality.