Sandblasted Hawkbill Tobacco Pipe

For the amount of times Silver Gray has fashioned her signature Hawkbill shape, one would think the American carver would run out of ideas for how to make the form unique across all her iterations. One would be wrong though; one clearly doesn't know Silver. The talented, innovative carver has impressed once again with this striking rendition. Displaying the iconic, deep curve of the Italian school's classic Hawkbill, this piece features a bulbous bowl on the end. Throughout Silver's portfolio, her designs play with the bowl shape, vacillating between elegantly rounded Eggs and plump, Ball-like forms to high-waisted Acorns and even a Poker. Here, the artisan opts for a muscular, broad-based design, tapering suddenly toward the smooth, polished rim and pairing it to a firm-lined, diamond shank. What makes this piece especially unique, though, is the heel — Gray has extended it into a subtle foot just below the transition, topping it with natural plateau for a sudden dose of jagged texture. The rest of the stummel, then, wears one of her stunning contrast sandblasts, alternating between warm auburn and dark coffee hues to match the sandy tones of the cumberland stem.