Smooth Brown Cherrywood (Two Jellyfish) Tobacco Pipe

In creating his brand, Valbruna, Italian artisan Simone Gaudenzi has combined his two passions: pipes and the sea. Before branching out on his own as a pipe-making artisan, Gaudenzi worked under the mentorship of Giancarlo Guidi at the famed Ser Jacopo workshop. There, he developed a keen eye for design and a deep appreciation for the whimsical Pesaro style, which appears prominently in his portfolio to this day. Now the founder of his own brand, he imbues every Valbruna piece with his love of both the pipe-making craft and the sea, with his grading system heavily reflecting aquatic themes, and the brand name itself a reference to the legendary underwater city of the same name.

This Valbruna Cherrywood takes on the shape's archetypal forward cant, yet instead of featuring linear, parallel walls, this rendition features a dramatically curved fore that nestles nicely in the palm. The aft wall takes on a more subtle curve, which is interrupted by the short, vaulting shank that erupts energetically from the high-set transition. A sleek, tapered stem joins the shank, its arrow-straight posture adding a touch of rigidity to the form. The stummel's unique shaping makes the most of the briar's handsome grain, which Gaudenzi has read quite skillfully: Tight curlicues of birdseye swirl around the bowl's curved fore, while hearty tendrils of flame grain climb the flanks, all dressed in a smooth, brown finish that lends the piece an elegant look and feel. A stable Sitter with handsome grain and unique shaping to boot, this Cherrywood is sure to make an eye-catching and reliable smoking companion.