Rinaldo: Triade Calabash with Silver (3) (YY) (Skipper) Tobacco Pipe

Elio and Guido Rinaldo have been making pipes together since 1974, getting their start in one of Pesaro's major workshops before establishing their own brand, Rinaldo, in 1987. To this day, every pipe produced by the workshop is crafted solely by the two brothers, with the utmost attention paid to every aspect of the pipes' performance and comfort, both in hand and between the teeth. It's not often that we receive Calabash renditions from the Rinaldos, making this piece something of a rarity, with this outline being an outlier even among those. Taking inspiration from the original Gourd Calabash, this pipe is massively sinuous, with a lengthy, deeply bent stem and a highly curvaceous stummel. A wide transition here leads to a curling shank which is capped with one of Rinaldo's signature stepped silver accents as part of the Skipper line, the black acrylic stem to which the stummel is paired showcasing a broad expansion ring at the base. Up front, the bowl stands atop a sweeping heel and expands out to a high-set waist marked with a firm ridgeline, with this ridge additionally marking a sleek taper to the rim. Dressed in a warm, honeyed stain, the stummel showcases a wealth of handsome grain, all contrasted strikingly by the silver Skipper accent and the black stem.