Jared Coles: Sandblasted Bent Billiard with Orangewood Tobacco Pipe

Jared Coles' signature style combines the Danish school's clean lines and supple curves with a muscular aesthetic that's uniquely North American. Such a unique style results in pipes that are truly breathtaking, lacking nothing in terms of sophistication or sturdiness, as evidenced by this bent Billiard. Coles crafts the bent Billiard with some regularity, and though he plays with proportions and cant, his renditions tend to share similar characteristics: namely, a pronounced curvature, well-balanced proportions, and a tall, softly tapered bowl. These characteristic features are present here, and they work in tandem to produce a shape with a dynamic, eye-catching outline. Up front, a towering bowl stands atop a lifted heel and grows trim walls that taper to a taut, smoothly polished rim, which overlooks a chamber of considerable depth. A slightly angled transition follows the bowl and marks the start of an upturned shank that swiftly flares to a broad face punctuated by a bright band of orangewood. The hardwood accent provides a pop of warmth to the pipe's otherwise muted palette, while additionally drawing attention to the rounded base of the saddle stem that follows. The brawny stummel is dressed in a crisp, earth-toned sandblast that highlights rugged grain across the bowl and shank alike.