Viktor Yashtylov: Sandblasted Calabash Poker with Olivewood (Magnetic Stem) Tobacco Pipe

Combining his previous Poker and Calabash Jellyfish renditions, Viktor Yashtylov here presents a striking Calabash Poker. The shaping is bold and powerful, full of robust proportions and hearty substance, and the finish boasts a ring grain-adorned sandblast, dressed in a contrasted stain that poises lighter hues at the textured peaks and accented by a smooth, walnut-stained rim and pale olivewood accent at the shank end.

Most impressive, however, is Yashtylov's internal craftsmanship here. The rim cap extends over the lower bowl's flanks, and inside, the chamber and cap are attached via a magnet inside the bottom of the bowl. Magnets are an oft-seen innovation within the Russian carver's work — the stem also being attached magnetically, ensuring a forever-snug, seamless fit nestled within the olivewood mount.

Of further note, Viktor has lined the underside of the chamber cap with a rubber gasket, sealing the Calabash's cooling chamber and protecting the lower bowl's smooth-polished rim where it meets the cap. It's a stunning pipe aesthetically, the rim and heel matched in their concave orientation, and it sits upright, though resting back on the bit. Yashtylov's attention to detail and engineering bespeaks a high degree of care, making for a pipe that's sure to smoke as wonderfully as it looks.