Smooth Wasp with Mammoth (Signature) (0318) Tobacco Pipe

The recipe for Wolfgang Becker's success as a pipemaker is twofold: very high-quality pipes, and very low annual output. His journey as a pipemaker was first catalyzed upon seeing a batch of Lars Ivarsson pipes in an issue of Pipe Club magazine, and since then, his exponential growth as an artisan has been witnessed the world over.

As for this piece, it may be the nicest from the carver I've seen yet. Fashioned from a clearly stunning block, this Signature-grade (his highest stamping) Wasp shape is a gorgeous, svelte number, offering a superbly comfortable feel in hand, while also being one of the most distinctly evocative iterations to wear that moniker that I've come across, from Wolfgang or elsewhere. It wears a beautifully warm walnut stain, paired to a mount of pale mammoth bone, complemented by a more slender, delicately downturned saddle stem. Amazing work here.