Rusticated Apple with Horn Tobacco Pipe

Luiz Lavos formed an interest in working with wood when he spent time in his grandfather's workshop in Brazil as a child. He pursued a career in design, particularly graphic design, and would end up applying principles from it when he became a pipe maker. Luiz has a wide array of connections and influences, but his work adheres most closely to the Danish functionalist style, albeit with cues taken from his home country, such as accents of cow horn.

Luiz dealt with small proportions of material in making this Apple — it stretches barely above four and a half inches and weighs barely more than a single ounce. But what he did with a portion of briar, a smaller portion of horn and a short vulcanite stem is nothing short of remarkable. The bowl has thin, smooth ridges between deep canyons of horizontal rustication to give an appearance near that of a honey dipper, appropriate given the rich golden brown stain of the stummel. The shank is rusticated in similar rings to those of the bowl but is very brief, connecting quickly with a horn accent. A short tapered stem of vulcanite finishes the piece, which manages to be elegant and playful at the same time.