Scottie Piersel: Sandblasted Pencil Shank Apple Tobacco Pipe

Scottie Piersel's pipe-making style may vary, but her objective in creating pieces imbued with high-quality craftsmanship and functionality never wavers. Equally adept at carving artful, muscular designs or ultra-sleek, startlingly slender shapes, she is perhaps best known for the latter, which is well represented in this presentation.

This Apple is a study in contrasts. Most eye-catching, perhaps, is the American carver's signature, lengthy pencil shank. Quite lean and round, it's reinforced with stainless steel tubing for longevity and support, with the pipe's entire length edging into Churchwarden territory as it's nearly nine inches long. It's paired to a robust, curvy, bevel-rimmed bowl with a slight forward cant, its stockiness bringing to mind a thick-walled Pot. Neoclassic in nature, the full-bodied, broad-based bowl rather dwarfs the shank, hence the alluring juxtaposition. A sturdy Sitter, this piece wears a chestnut, contrast-stained sandblast, highlighting some lovely cross grain along the aft, with vertical grain displayed on the left flank. The complementing hues of the smooth inner rim add cohesiveness, while a slim Ivorite accent at the shank end lightens the composition. Lending further flourish is one of Scottie's hand-cut, vulcanite stems, the brindled jade and black colors offering even more pizazz.