Smooth Blowfish (Diamond) Tobacco Pipe

Though there are likely a number of reasons Peter Heding decided to fashion this compact, yet robust Diamond-grade Blowfish, one I could likely guess would be simple: birdseye. Indeed, while Peter could have fashioned a number of classical shape renditions that featured, say, a rim or underside's worth of the stuff, he instead chose to feature it prominently on each bulbous flank, cleanly divided by a neat lane of cross-grain, and highlighted by a warm contrast stain. As for the form itself: of course there's no shortage of activity, but what really catches my eye is the upward-flicking motion of the shank, which leads the viewer to the gently downturned, modernist saddle stem. A superlative example of shape with roots in both the Danish and Japanese schools.

- Daniel Bumgardner