Scottie Piersel: Relief Contrast Bent Billiard Tobacco Pipe

While Scottie Piersel is known for her signature pencil shank designs, she's no stranger to classic shapes, with this bent Billiard looking as if it was the archetype for an early 20th century English design. The pert bowl is deftly rendered, resting at the fore of a gently curved shank and subtly cheeked transition. The walls remain steady atop the bowl's rounded heel, mirrored above by the rim's smooth bevel and well-insulating thickness. Out back, a lithe vulcanite stem is bent to provide an effortless clench, set in brindled black and yellow hues. The stummel is dressed in Piersel's signature Contrast Relief finish, of her own invention, achieved by staining the briar, sandblasting it, sanding down the excavated portions of wood, and finally staining the stummel again in another lighter color. This labor-intensive process produces an elegantly contrasting palette, pairing the rugged aesthetic of a sandblast with a smoother tactile experience. The rippling stacks of ring grain on this bent Billiard are exquisitely defined, creating a pipe that, despite its traditional proportions, is immediately recognizable as Piersel's work.