Dunhill: Ruby Bark (4111) (2024) 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. 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 is dressed in the iconic Ruby Bark finish, revealing handsome grain underneath a crisp sandblast.

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.