Sandblasted Author with Brass and Bakelite (901) Tobacco Pipe

Montana-based artisan Micah Cryder started carving pipes at 17 years old, beginning while he was still in high school. Cryder learned the ins-and-outs of pipe making by surfing internet forums and got some additional help from American carver Premal Chheda. Soon, he founded his own artisan workshop: Yeti. The supernatural name is inspired in part by the great outdoors and adding a dash of whimsicality to the art of pipe making. Pipes from Yeti typically showcase classic Danish design cues like gestural profiles and supple shaping, while incorporating an individualistic artistic perspective like many other American pipe makers.

An exemplar of the muscular Nosewarmer aesthetic, this Author by Yeti is both tight-knit and robust. The bowl possesses a bulging, mid-set waist that fosters a plump feel in hand, while the composition's compactness keeps it lightweight and nimble. Transitioning out of the bowl is a thick, tubular shank, which swiftly bends upward, creating a subtly gestural profile that hints at Yeti's Danish influences. The shank is punctuated by a broad brass band that encircles the base of the high-kicking saddle stem, which is crafted from swirling, cherry-red Bakelite, lending the aft of the composition a wealth of colorful contrast. Additionally, the briar is dressed in one of Yeti's stunning contrast stains, which highlights pinpricks of birdseye on the smooth-finished rim and nomenclature panel. Furthermore, the contrast stain enhances the vivid appearance of the stummel's rugged sandblast, painting the undulating growth rings in inky tones, while the fiery hues of the wispy flame grain beneath stand out in stark relief.