Rinaldo Lithos YYY Rusticated Bent Egg Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

As with so many of today’s premier Italian workshop makes, the story of Rinaldo begins at Mastro de Paja. The latter was a workshop founded by Giancarlo Guidi (later of Ser Jacopo) and Giannino Spadoni (later of Fiamma di Re), which the brothers Elio and Guido Rinaldo worked for as teenagers in the 1970s. At the end of the 1980s, the two departed Mastro de Paja to found their own make under their surname. Thus, Rinaldo was born.

It’s always interesting when pipe-making worlds collide. This Rinaldo, for instance, has proportions and a general curvature that align it more with the eggs of the various Danish schools – even down to the flared stem. On the other hand, the pipe is finished in a quintessentially Italian, pebble-dash rustication, calling to mind Castello’s Sea Rock or Radice’s Rind finishes. The pipe is graded three out of a possible four “Y”s for Rinaldo’s Lithos (rusticated) series.

The condition is excellent. There’s a touch of darkening on the inner back rim, but it’s nothing major. The pipe came to us through our consignment program and was clearly well cared for.

 

Details:

Length: 5.6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.83 / 22.60mm

Bowl Depth: 1.94″ / 49.27mm

Weight: 2.7oz / 78g