Ardor Alveare Ninfea Rusticated Stack w/ Silver Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

Like many Italian workshop brands, Ardor pipes are a family affair. The name itself is an acronym of Angelo Rovera and Dorelio Rovera, father and son pipe-makers who created the brand in 1972. The Rovera family’s history with pipes goes back much further, however, as Angelo’s own father, Francesco, had previously established the Sociedade Rovera pipe company with his brothers in 1911. All Ardor pipes are completely hand-made from briar that has been seasoned for at least 4-5 years, and the brand is noteworthy for its playful and innovative approaches to design. As a result, Ardor pipes are both quintessentially Italian, while also being somewhat different, having a style that is wholly their own.

Most of Ardor’s finishes are based on celestial bodies, both in their intended aesthetic and in the names they go by. The Meteora invokes meteorites, the Marte Mars, the Giove Jupiter, and so on. The Alveare, however, is different. One might say that it is a little more “down to earth” than other Ardor pipes (though not quite as down to earth as the workshop’s Terra line), having been inspired by the exterior of a beehive. Not entirely unlike Dunhill and its Quaint shape “US,” the Aleveare (Italian for “beehive”) is meticulously carved to capture its subject matter, which the Roveras pursue even further than Dunhill and similar makes through highly detailed, mixed finish handicraft. This one takes the apposite form of a slightly bulbous stacked billiard, with a mouthpiece hand-cut from a honey-like Lucite. This Alveare is also fitted with a sterling silver spigot mount of a special design, known as the Ninfea—another design element in the Ardor portfolio that looks not the stars, but to the humble water lily.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. It comes with its original box and sleeve.

Details:

Length: 6.6″ / 167.6mm

Bowl Width: 0.80 / 20.32mm

Bowl Depth: 2.23″ / 56.64mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 54g