Sandblasted Billiard with Bamboo Tobacco Pipe

Angelo Del Prete owns a smoke shop in Pordenone, Italy, that has focused on the sale of artisanal pipes since 2014, but it wasn't until 2018 that Angelo began shaping briar blocks out of pure curiosity. He contacted Italian pipe makers to learn more about the craft, spending time learning from the likes of Massimiliano Rimensi and Davide Iafisco. Angelo made his pipes available for sale starting in 2020, and today averages an annual production of 50-60 pipes made with the influences of the Italian and Danish schools of pipe making.

This Billiard of Angelo's making shows off that early curiosity, pairing a briar bowl with a two-knuckle length of bamboo and a vulcanite stem. It's a very precise pipe, weighing in at barely over one ounce, but still generously proportioned in the height of the bowl and the length of the stem-and-shank arrangement. Deep sandblasted ridges decorate the bowl, which is stained a very dark brown and tapered very lightly toward the rim. The bamboo offers a playful, easy grip and the saddle vulcanite stem finishes the piece with a nice sense of contrast.