2018 Silver Gray Sandblasted Hawkbill Estate Briar Pipe, American Estates

Description

One could say that Silver Gray is one of America’s preeminent female pipe-makers. While this would be true, it would perhaps not be entirely fair, both because pipe-making is overwhelmingly male as a professional demographic, and because Silver Gray is a preeminent pipe-maker, full stop. Gray previously worked as a fabric designer, but through her time spent with American master Brad Pohlmann, her attention soon turned to making pipes. With Pohlmann as her teacher, Gray rose through the ranks of American artisans and, by 2018, her work had received a first-place award at the Las Vegas International Pipe Show. Pohlmann and Gray continue to share a workshop in Oregon, where each crafts their world-class artisan pipes.

The hawkbill has become a signature shape of American artisan Silver Gray. In fact, many of the pipe designs she creates that aren’t necessarily hawkbills still incorporate the shape’s iconic curvature and sense of proportion. On the other hand, Gray’s interpretations are nonetheless very different to the hawkbills popularly associated with the great Italian workshops, such as Castello, Caminetto, and Ser Jacopo. Her shanks and stems, as with this one, are often faceted, which not only adds a distinction to the design, but allows the bowl to be rounded out further toward its base. It’s a very Danish gesture—though the Danes tend to prefer using it for their billiards and brandies—that has a separating effect, allowing for the bowl to be fuller, more curvaceous, and more prominent. A good ring grain and contrast stain serve to further this effect, with the end result being a shape whose bowl almost seems to “sit” on the end of its shank, like an egg perched on the end of a spoon.

The condition is great. Some wear to the rim, but nothing major.

 

Details:

Length: 5″ / 127.0mm

Bowl Width: 0.75 / 19.05mm

Bowl Depth: 1.39″ / 35.30mm

Weight: 1.5oz / 44g