Ryan Alden: Sandblasted Nosewarmer Billiard (Queen of Hearts) Tobacco Pipe

Preposterously light in hand, this Billiard from Ryan Alden may be short in length, but it's full-sized in bowl proportions and height, and irresistible for pocket carry, though it's a pipe of such elevated visual interest that it should remain visible. The blast is a new experience for me, with a forward-inclined, windswept character in cross grain orientation that at first made me think of morta, but it lacks the geometrical grain of morta and is certainly briar. I suspect Ryan has been optimizing his sandblasting technique and has here used an angle of approach different from the customary. The piece is further highlighted by a vulcanite saddle stem streaked with black and a subdued, understated moss. The rim is sandblasted on its outside perimeter but smooth for the chamfered interior ring around the tobacco chamber. It's an impressive piece with big visual appeal in a small, practical form, and by one of the most important American carvers currently building a reputation.