Kai Nielsen: Smooth Bent Billiard (Jewel of Denmark) (C) Tobacco Pipe

A prolific Danish artisan, Kai Nielsen is the son of Viggo Nielsen, the founder of the Bari pipe factory where Kai would get his start in the pipe world, working there for pocket money as a teenager and joining full-time at 21. In the years since, he's crafted handmade pipes of his own, and this bent Billiard showcases his distinctly Danish approach to shape chart standard profiles excellently, with plenty of stylized detail for one to appreciate when smoking. The stem here is a sleek and demurely bent length of jet-black half-saddle acrylic, keeping the undercurve of this piece consistent while still attaining a lithe look that accentuates the taper toward the rim. A comparatively trim shank curves just a touch as it reaches out of the wide transition, paired rather low to the bowl. Said bowl is possessed of a Volcano-like look that sees it tapering to the rim from its lifted heel, a ridgeline wrapping around the underside to form a base that works well with the two that frame the top side of the shank. This added structure makes this pipe quite compelling and works well with the subtle curves of the silhouette, each enhancing each other. Dressed in a dark, glossy stain, this pipe reveals some handsome grain throughout, the black stem keeping the palette understated and elegant in this C-grade Jewel of Denmark piece.