Kai Nielsen: Smooth Rhodesian (Jewel of Denmark) (D) Tobacco Pipe

A second-generation Danish pipe maker, Kai Nielsen is the son of Viggo Nielsen, who helped found the marque Bari in 1948. Kai Nielsen often spent time around the workshop in his childhood, and began working there at 21 years of age. Over 50 years later, Kai Nielsen is still making pipes. Nielsen makes traditional shapes with a classic Danish style, evidenced by many of his pipe's gestural profiles and supple bowls. Few pipe makers have more experience than Kai Nielsen, and his lifelong skill is evident in each pipe he crafts.

This Rhodesian by Kai Nielsen features a pert, upright bowl that possesses a Dublin-like flare from the supple heel to the high-set waistline, which is adorned with two beadlines. Furthermore, the rim gently arcs as it approaches the chamber, showcasing fine freckles of birdseye in the process. Birdseye also appears on the fore and the aft of the bowl, with vertical grain showcased on the flanks, an atypical grain pattern that is highlighted handsomely in a chestnut smooth finish. Out back, the shank-and-stem arrangement elongates the profile, with the proportional, cylindrical shank displaying some fetching grain as well. The tapered stem is fashioned from jet-black acrylic, a classic pair for the chestnut stain, while Neilsen's signature trim, blonde band at the shank end offers a distinguished flourish.