Sabina Santos: Partially Sandblasted Oval Dublin with Durat Tobacco Pipe

One of Portugal's few artisan pipe makers, Sabina Santos crafts gorgeous shapes that are uniquely designed, expertly engineered, and handsomely finished. Such is the case with this "Dublin, a piece that is strikingly angular and handsomely executed. Up front, a tall, muscular bowl stands atop a subtly lifted heel and grows thick walls that terminate at a broad, ovoid rim. A sharply angled transition follows the bowl and marks the start of an upturned shank that flares dramatically into a demurely curved saddle stem. The bowl and shank's respective flares mirror one another and foster a sense of visual symmetry throughout the stummel, with the latter's termination at a broad face echoing the former's rise to the rim. A gorgeous Durat accent punctuates the shank and draws the eye to the pipe's aft, as well as the aforementioned flare and the blue vulcanite mouthpiece. A crisp sandblast dresses the majority of the stumme, save for the rim, which is left smooth and hosts a dense galaxy of birdseye.