Ser Jacopo: **Insanus Sandblasted Billiard with Silver (S2) (D) (5) Tobacco Pipe

A dramatic, neoclassic design from Italian marque Ser Jacopo, this straight Billiard displays a pronounced heel and a reverse rake to the bowl, making me think of a bold Skater with a chin. The bowl towers over the stout, but abbreviated shank and stem, offering a capacious chamber and protecting it with thick, insulating walls to ensure comfort when smoking. A rich sandblasted finish commends a cross-grain orientation in the briar, with a mesmerizing concentration of blasted birdseye on the right flank. The jet-black acrylic saddle stem keeps my attention at the front of the pipe, where it belongs, and sterling silver wedding ring accent at the shank end adds a flash of elegance.