Silver Gray: Smooth Oval Derby Tobacco Pipe

A former accountant with more than a decade of pipe-making experience, Silver Gray came into the pipe world by way of her partner, artisan pipe maker Brad Pohlmann. Her fist carvings made use of briar scrap, before working her way up to discarded stummels, and finally, raw burl, honing her aesthetic and learning the equipment around her until finding herself at a level of mastery. Silver's personal style is a wholly unique one that's seen the development of a variety of signature shapes, and her portfolio showcases these signature profiles regularly, much to the delight of her enthusiasts: oftentimes paired to her painstakingly crafted recreations of Peterson's NAP stem.

The Derby is a Silver Gray signature shape, though it's one of the most subtle signatures that she offers and, indeed, one of the most subtle signature shapes that I know of. Essentially, the Derby is a rather robust bent Billiard paired to a slender and lengthy shank-and-stem combination, the arrangement possessed of a light weight and offering comfortable, hands-free smoking. This particular iteration of the Derby is unique, paired to a stem that's significantly longer than we'd expect, and one married to a broad, oval shank that tapers as it reaches out of the transition, making for striking, graceful posture. The stem itself extends the reach of this pipe to over seven inches, and it's made from a special, hand-poured polymer made by Chris Kelly, the English artisan behind Eldritch pipes: showcasing an eye-catching swirl of black and white tones. The ovoid shape of the shank additionally defines the shaping of the bowl, a thick bulb of briar that's been compressed at the fore and aft, forming a lenticular rim that's dipped in the middle and slopes into the chamber. The bowl's walls offer a sturdy feel in hand and afford the silhouette of the pipe an impressive slenderness, the compression keeping the shape looking agile and streamlined. Dressed in a warm, walnut-hued stain, the stummel showcases handsome grain throughout, with flame grain wrapping the walls of the bowl and birdseye peppering the rim: the striking tones of the stem adding some lovely contrast.