Sandblasted Bent Apple with Bakelite Tobacco Pipe

Have you ever marveled over an object that was not food yet that still gave you the desire to eat it? Certain colorful marbles have tempted me before, as have multi-colored dice and vivid bouncy balls. I'm sure such a psychological phenomenon has a technical name, and whatever it is, I must have it because Bakelite and I have a complicated relationship. Overall, I love the material: It's fascinating, intriguing, beautiful, and utterly unique. Bakelite often displays tantalizing patterns and color palettes that call to mind candy and that, well, often look quite tasty — except that Bakelite is not edible and has no taste. Such an attribute makes it exceptional as a pipe-stem material, not so much as a hard candy. All that is to say that the Bakelite stem of this Micah Redmond bent Apple looks delicious, the mint green and cream swirled tones calling to mind saltwater taffy or a St. Patrick's Day themed milkshake. It further displays a depth of color beyond green and white, with various shades and tints intermingles and combining for a complex visual texture that's utterly captivating when analyzed. Micah's no stranger to using Bakelite on his pipes, and this particular color is one I hope he has more of. The vivid palette of the stem is tastefully paired to a jet-black sandblast, and this bent Apple is quite a compact piece overall, making for a pocket-pipe with a larger-than-life aesthetic.