Davide Iafisco Smooth Prince w/ Antler Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

Many years ago, an Italian pipe luminary named Luca di Piazza sought to create a series of high-quality pipes under the brand name “Luciano.” Through his own shop in Milan and through partnerships with US distributors, di Piazza brought to market pipes that were relatively traditional in style, modest in price, but well made, thanks to the established Italian workshops contracted to manufacture them. After a few years, di Piazza restarted the Luciano brand with a completely different approach, with the pipes instead being designed and made by in-house craftsmen. This is the point at which Luciano pipes went from high-quality to high-grade, a shift that took place under the watch of an extraordinary young artisan: Davide Iafisco. By this time, Iafisco already had a several years of pipe making under his belt, and indeed had studied it under living legends such as Claudio Cavicchi and Teddy Knudsen.

Ultimately, the production of Luciano pipes ended, but out of the project’s ashes arose Davide Iafisco, this time as a solo carver working under his own name. At the time of writing, it has been a decade since Iafisco pipes first hit the market, and it is quite apparent that the man himself is one of the finest pipe makers working today. Iafisco works in a variety of styles but, much like his approach to the revamped Luciano project, he continues to have a soft spot for the classics. Thus we have this prince from just a couple of years ago, which more than lives up to the regal connotations of its name. Accented by a ring cut from antler, the design is eminently traditional, pairing black ebonite with a gleaming, contrast finished bowl. The graining is superb, as is the construction more generally, though one shouldn’t expect anything less from an Iafisco.

The condition is very good. Minor rim darkening.

Details:

Length: 6.5″ / 165.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.75 / 19.05mm

Bowl Depth: 1.22″ / 30.98mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g