Il Cerchio: Natural Sandblasted Diplomat with Horn Tobacco Pipe

Il Cerchio pipes are handmade by Angelo del Prete in Pordenone, Italy. Translating to "The Circle" from Italian, the name Il Cerchio references the concepts of balance and consistency that del Prete prioritizes in each of his designs — elevated by his premium craftsmanship and creative aesthetic eye. With a degree in furniture design and decoration and the owner of a tobacco shop, del Prete boasts a longstanding passion for both woodworking and pipes and tobacco, a passion he now leverages as one of Italy's most established artisan carvers. Having received early training from fellow carvers Maximiliano Rimensi of Il Duca and Davide Iafisco, del Prete crafts innovative and reliable pipes, offering distinctive aesthetics alongside meticulous engineering.

The Diplomat is an historic, classic shape but one that's seldom fashioned nowadays. Essentially, an oval-shanked Author, the traditional Diplomat houses a robust Apple-like bowl and quarter bend, but with an oval shank for a slightly more slender profile compared to the iconically robust Author. This version from del Prete is wonderful iteration, preserving the design's balanced proportions and fluid gesture for a pipe that simultaneous embodies substance and elegance. Moreover, a deep sandblast reveals a remarkable array of growth rings around the bowl in a natural finish that will darken as the piece is smoked, and the hand-cut vulcanite stem features a trim accent of horn.