Scottie Piersel: Relief Contrast Pencil Shank Brandy Tobacco Pipe

American artisan Scottie Piersel makes some of the most iconic and precise pencil-shanked pipes in the world, with an unmistakable style that keeps her work in high demand with discerning collectors. The impossibly slender shanks of her pipes look like they could be fragile, but the reverse is true, as they are lined by stainless steel sleeves that also form a reverse tenon to secure the stem. This example features a squat, muscular bowl, serving to further amplify the svelte nature of the shank and stem, the bowl canted slightly forward to give the pipe implied momentum and a sense of poised grace.

This piece also presents Scottie's Relief Contrast finish: The finishing technique involves sanding down a sandblast's peaks, resulting in both a contrast of smooth and blasted textures as well as light and dark stain colors. The sandblast accentuates the briar's grain, giving rise to a handsome array of growth rings climbing the left flank, while a pale Ivorite accent at the shank end and a brindled vulcanite stem of sand and black hues complete a pastoral aesthetic. A fine piece, and one that is immediately recognizable as Scottie's work, this pipe is sure to elevate the collection of anyone who likes precise, graceful pipes.