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

The son of Viggo Nielsen, founder of the Bari pipe factory, Kai Nielsen got his start in carving at an early age, working in the factory as a teenager for pocket money before switching to full-time work there at 21. Now he enjoys an excellent reputation as an artisan in his own right and has acted as a mentor to others, including Kurt Balleby. This Rhodesian from the Danish artisan is a lovely piece and has earned the Jewel of Denmark designation at a B grade. Though remarkably compact at just over five inches long, this Rhodesian is a stout and full-bodied pipe, offering some appreciable substance in hand and throughout its composition. The transition is wide, with plenty of room to drape a digit, and it gives way to a lifting shank that's lined at the bottom with a pair of ridgelines, these ridges continuing into the demurely curved half-saddle stem of black vulcanite. Up front, the bowl flares out subtly to a low-set waist before meeting a pair of crisp beadlines, where the walls then taper swiftly up to a tall, flat rim: offering plenty of space to showcase a dense pattern of wrapping flame grain beneath the stummel's warm, chestnut-hued stain.