Jacono's philosophy on pipemaking is almost spiritual in nature; he believes every piece of briar has a soul, and as the pipemaker, it is his job to find it. Tonino crafts about 400 pipes each year from Calabrian briar, and every step, from the selection of the block to the final polishing, is performed exclusively by Tonino himself. His family is in the briar business in Italy, so it's no wonder that his pipes are made from extremely lightweight, superb smoking briar.
Jacono's grading basically follows the hierarchy of chess pieces, with the exception of the "Jack" grade, which falls between the Bishop and the Queen. So, the grading scale is as follows: Knight (rustic), Rook (rustic/smooth), Bishop (smooth), Jack (smooth, light stain), Queen (straightgrain), King (straightgrain, very clean). The Queen and King grades also have subdivisions, denoted by one or two "E" stamps.
Jacono recently increased their US retail pricing straight across the board. Jacks are now $295 retail, but due to a special purchase with our supplier, this one is being offered at a nice discount.
This unsmoked Jack grade is a straightforward bent Dublin with exceptionally nice grain for the grade. The graining is a lovely, even flamegrain around 80% of the bowl with some wash on the left side. The heel and both top and bottom of the shank are full of tight birdseye. The chamber is medium-large in size, and the stem is a handcut acrylic saddle. Make sure to look at the additional bowl shots!
To see close-ups the grain around the bowl, please click this link.
Markings read: JACONO, HAND MADE, ITALY, jack. Measurements: 5 1/2" long, bowl is just about 1 3/4" wide and 2" tall. The pipe weighs 54 grams. About a Dunhill group 5 in capacity.
Condition:
10 out of 10. Unsmoked and perfect – ready to be enjoyed.
