Smooth Acorn with Bamboo (1719) Tobacco Pipe

Among the most talented carvers in the world today, Jeff Gracik continues to impress with his firm grasp of traditional shapes, his elevated execution and finishing skills, and his ability to discover and execute sophisticated modifications and new ways to approach individual carving elements. This Acorn is a phenomenal approach to the shape, its willowy profile irresistibly slender and proportionately elongated despite its attenuated length.

Three knuckles of black bamboo comprise the shank, offering a weathered, natural hue to accompany the character of the Acorn shape. The saddle stem base is offset to magnify the soft curvature leading to the lip button, while the briar section of the shank remains short and thin, resembling, as it should, a twig emerging from the branch of an oak tree. The heel protrudes elegantly in Acorn fashion, and provides a structural foundation for the expanding rise of the flanks to the waistline, from which they taper inward to the beveled rim. Beautifully balanced and elegantly shaped, this is a fine example of Jeff's capabilities.