Smooth Shield with Bamboo (Gold) Tobacco Pipe

As copywriters we tend to shy away from basing descriptions on grain. Oh sure, we talk about it, it after all being an essential part of what you, our customers, base your purchase on, but we don't like it to be all about the grain. Except, of course, for the fact that there are several shapes out there that are entirely based on grain placement. The Blowfish, for example, or the Elephant's Foot, the Duck's Foot, and, as seen here, the Shield, are all shapes predicated on block orientation being a certain way in order to bring out certain grain patterns.

Thankfully, carvers like Peter Heding make our lives a little easier in this regard, not only being consistently proficient at block selection and orientation, but also by bringing their deft handling to every aspect of the pipe. From the momentum created by the cant of the bowl and slope of the rim, to the balance maintained by the long, sinuous length of reinforced bamboo and down-turned saddle stem, stretching not only back but up from the low set, well defined transition. So, thanks Peter, not only for creating such a graceful composition, but for giving us poor copywriters something to talk about.

- Adam O'Neill