Smooth Acorn with Mammoth (469) Tobacco Pipe

A wunderkind of modern American pipemaking, Micah "Yeti" Cryder is certainly a carver with a serious eye for detail, not to mention a deft hand for manifesting that vision into reality. Here, he presents us with one of his most stunning pieces yet, to my eye, being a tightly controlled, yet broad and organic Acorn shape. Like much of his work, this fellow is undeniably Danish, with a rounded shank guiding the eye gracefully to a fairly soft, plumply flared bowl.

Said bowl sports just the lightest hint of a heel at the underside, followed by a subtle undulation just beneath the transition, allowing for ample space and substance with which to accommodate the fingers. As for the finish, it's nothing short of a stunning warm contrast, highlighting a vast spread of flame and birdseye perfectly oriented on all flanks. And as is the norm for Yeti briars of this sort, it sports a tight, wavy crown of dark plateau, kissed with a bit of warm, smooth stain at the inner rim. Going one further, the carver opted for a creamy mammoth accent ring at the shank's end to complement the handsome finish, bolstered by a domed saddle bit. Magnificent work.