Jared Coles: Smooth Acorn with Orangewood (Oak) Tobacco Pipe

Jared Coles' history with pipes starts at his childhood, having been enamored with them ever since the first time he saw his grandfather smoking one. Appropriately, then, he came into the fold as a pipe smoker as soon as he turned 18, discovering the artisan world of pipes while he was in college and further engrossing himself in his passion. The breadth of styles that Coles has explored spans the world, and he draws inspiration from all of these schools of design when crafting his pipes.

This Acorn is an extremely expressive pipe, presenting with a build that balances dual flares, here separated by a nearly parabolic transition. Sweeping curvature possesses nearly the entirety of the stummel here, with a pronounced undercurve outlining the silhouette from shank to rim, connecting two rugged swaths of plateau through refined line work alone. The shank curls out from the low-set transition, flaring gently out toward the aforementioned swath of plateau, where the shank meets a sleek and demurely curved saddle stem of black vulcanite. This stem has been accented with a broad band of orangewood which has been paired to the vulcanite itself, this merging showcasing a unique, slightly faceted shaping near the base that adds a great deal of visual intrigue to the aft portion of the pipe.

At the other end of the transition, a robust bowl stands atop a long, smoothly curving heel, taking on a dramatic expansion through the walls, with a slightly reserved outward push at the aft side. Comparatively, the fore wall's flare is much more pronounced, allowing the bowl to take on an impressive thickness which easily insulates the chamber and gives plenty of room to display the pipe's curvature. The rim is the second of two plateau-lined areas, and its broad wreath showcases a rich array of organic texture, contrasted immediately by an inward chamfer to the chamber which is finished in a light, smooth stain. This smooth area displays a round lining of fine vertical grain, a microcosm of the far more prominent, wrapping flame grain which surrounds the circumference of the bowl thanks to the stummel's matching dressing. A highly sophisticated composition, this piece is such a stunning combination of shaping and grain that it's earned Coles' superlative Oak grade and its respective stamping, making it an example of some of the artisan's best work.