Smooth Light Apple (Two Jellyfish) Tobacco Pipe

Ser Jacopo alum Simone Gaudenzi is well-trained in the Pesaro school of pipe making, which emphasizes clean lines and panache in design. Today, Gaudenzi crafts Valbruna pipes in the small town of Gabicce Mare on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, which plays an important role in the company's nomenclature: per Adriatic legend, Valbruna is a lost, sunken city like Atlantis. Gaudenzi ages the briar for his pipes, which are produced in limited quantities. True to his maritime roots, he uses Jellyfish to identify levels of quality.

This Apple of Simone's is far from typical, sporting the heel spur of a Cutty and the broad shank of an Eskimo. The bowl itself is a traditional Apple, adorned with handsome tendrils of flame grain that reach back to decorate the underside of the shank. The top of the shank displays tight, round curlicues of handsome birdseye going all the way back to the wide, tapered stem of black acrylic. The stummel is stained a lovely light walnut hue and finished smoothly, allowing the grain to breathe easily all the way around. With a wonderful color palette and impressive shaping paired together, it's easy to see why Simone awarded this piece two Jellyfish.