Gabriele: Sandblasted Bent Apple with Masur Birch (Turtle) Tobacco Pipe

Gabriele dal Fiume has had a passion for pipes for decades, ignited by the smoking of his father and uncle, something which inspired him, in time, to create pipes of his own. Dal Fiume has been carving since 1987, breaking into the industry with a history of research and development in mechanics, lending credence to his impeccable technical skills. Gabriele crafts pieces in various shapes and sizes, though all in his singular style, and has a very low production rate, owing to his exacting standards for both shaping and smoking properties.

This bent Apple is quite different compared to others within Gabriele's portfolio, eschewing the more compact stature of these other works in favor of a more elongated form that's full of dynamic curvature. This is still a relatively small pipe at less than five and a half inches long, keeping it travel friendly, and it showcases a high-kicking stretch of shank fitted with masur birch at the end and paired to a demurely curved saddle stem. The shank itself lifts out of a wide transition and takes on a gentle flare as it pushes out toward the stem, with said stem's expansion ring at the base matching the gentle inflation of the shank at its accent. Up front the bowl sits atop a lifted heel, its underside sweeping up to meet a low-set, diagonal waist that slants back toward the transition, its higher seat at the fore enhancing the presence of the heel's lift. In addition, this waist makes for an excellent feel in hand that conforms quite naturally to wrapping fingers, the walls of the bowl tapering as they rise toward the deeply chamfered rim. Dressed in a crisp, auburn-hued sandblast, this piece showcases plenty of handsome, rippling growth rings throughout the stummel, its hues matched by the stem while the masur birch adds a flash of contrast.