Smooth Light Volcano with Cumberland Stem (Three Jellyfish) (Calypso) Tobacco Pipe

From a young age, Italian artisan Simone Gaudenzi has always been drawn to pipes and holds a longstanding appreciation for their rich history as both works of art and as functional objects embedded within the deeply personal ritual of smoking. A pipe smoker since his early adulthood, Guadenzi wouldn't join the world of pipe making until 1998, when he began working under the mentorship of Giancarlo Guidi at the famed Ser Jacopo workshop. It was here that he developed a keen eye for design and a deep appreciation for the Pesaro style, which his own portfolio demonstrates today. Gaudenzi's work also includes plenty of homage to his other great passion: the sea. The artisan took a break from pipe making for quite a while to work in a shipyard, but he returned to the Ser Jacopo workshop in 2014, and went on to carve pipes for several different brands before establishing own. He has named his own brand Valbruna after the legendary submerged city that's rumored to lie somewhere off the coast of his hometown — an Italian Atlantis of sorts. Moreover, the Valbruna grading system is also heavily influenced by the aquatic, with each piece stamped with a certain number of jellyfish to denote its size and quality, and some earning the Calypso or Atlantis designation.

This Volcano's three-jellyfish grade, for instance, denotes it as one of Valbruna's larger offerings, with plenty of handsome grain throughout. Moreover, it's finished with a cumberland stem, thus earning the Calypso designation. This piece is undeniable proof of Gaudenzi's Pesaro influences: The proportions are quite exaggerated and playful, with the bowl taking on a plump, teardrop shape and paired to an exceptionally high-kicking stem. The positioning of said stem promotes a relaxed smoking posture, and the bowl's broad, gently curved base makes for a secure, satisfying presence in hand. Hearty flame grain abounds throughout the stummel, as do dense displays of birdseye along the rim and underside, and they're all dressed in a light, smooth finish that pairs handsomely with the burgundy tones of the cumberland stem