Vauen: Topas Sandblasted (550) (9mm) Tobacco Pipe

This "550" straight Apple eschews the muscular look of the German marque's standard pipes in favor of a chubby bowl with a unique artisanal touch and a slender aft end. This stout bowl features a low-set waistline and a slow, gradual taper to the rim, though the most striking element of its build is the set of panels that frame its outline. Each of these have been carved by hand and meticulously sanded to render them subtle, though they are still quite noticeable, working to great effect to accentuate the plumpness of its construction. A trim shank ebbs out of this bowl, meeting a silvery fitment which marries to a similar adornment at the stem base, flowing almost seamlessly into the tapered black stem. The sandblast which dresses the stummel here reveals some beautiful growth ring patterns, all revealed beneath an earthy, smoky stain.