Ryan Alden: Sandblasted Apple (King of Clubs) Tobacco Pipe

Texas-based carver Ryan Alden takes his inspiration from the natural world, in particular the landscape of his North Texas home, as well as from classic shapes from vintage English and French marques. This playfully plump Apple displays Alden's close attention to natural phenomena: The near-spherical bowl houses a thick chamber insulated by its curvaceous walls. A soft heel meets a straight round shank, flattened at the bottom, allowing the pipe to sit upright. An abbreviated vulcanite saddle stem completes the ensemble, making this lightweight pipe an easy clencher. The King of Clubs grade stummel is dressed in a rugged sandblast that reveals flowing growth rings and finely textured grain, all dressed in a dusky red stain.