Smooth Bent Egg with Stabilized Dinosaur Bone Tobacco Pipe

Though first made popular by Lars Ivarsson, the teardrop line has become one of those ubiquitous shaping flourishes incorporated into a variety of different designs by a variety of different makers. That doesn't mean that artisans aren't still playing with the iconic ridge, however. There are still some novel variations out there, and this bent Egg from Roman Kovalev is certainly one of them.

Simply put, Roman has taken the classic teardrop shank and exaggerated it to the point that it nearly dominates the entire composition. Normally just a subtle line flanking one side of the underside, Roman has here lent the ridge a more dramatic aesthetic, drawing it out further along the left with a stronger taper to the top and bottom of the shank. The result is quite striking, making for a beautifully continuous sweeping gesture from rim to shank end.

As impressive as the form is, however, what strikes me most about this composition is Roman's use of accent material. Using a special polymer, originally intended for use in the construction of aircraft, he's able to actually polymerize organic compounds — not only stabilizing the material, but making it extremely strong and heat resistant. Its through this unique process that he was able to actually fashion an accent from, yes, dinosaur bone. After scouring our archives, I can't find a single instance of a pipe maker using this unique medium in the past. And that's saying something.

- Andrew Wike