Oppulent 18k Bully with Sapphire Accent

This has been a tough year for losing grandmothers for me, as I have lost both of them within a few months. And, as willed, I received both of their collections of jewelry, as I (and my dad) had made everything they had ever worn. I, of course, divied out some of the more memorable things to the women in the family. But, the rest was just mine to make something for myself to remember them by.
I have had this bulldog stummel on my bench for months, waiting for inspiration to complete it. I really have enjoyed the silver drip banded bent bulldogs that I made earlier this year. They are always guaranteed to attract conversation when I smoke them at restaurants or elsewhere in public. So, I designed an 18k yellow gold drip band, with a striking sapphire that came from one of the rings. The stem is brindled vulcanite (not Cumberland, as that is a Dunhill trademark). And, my mark is set into the stem material.

The pipe came to 7.25" long, with a .90" bowl, perfect for smoking mixtures and the few Balkan blends that I enjoy. And, despite the hunk of gold, the pipe dangles on a balance that makes for a perfect clenching pipe for me, leaving my hand free to hold my umbrella or cane (yeh, broken hip, long story...)

I selected this 100 year old stummel from a box of stummels that I acquired from an old French pipe company's warehouse. These stummels have made some of the best smoking pipes that I've ever encountered. No oils are left in the briar at all and they are ultra light. Anyways, I bored it out to 3.7mm, with the bit carved out to make the smoke free flowing, with a great distribution over the tongue.

I know, I know, this pipe isn't for everyone. I most certainly won't be smoking this while out deer hunting or working the garden, but for a night out on the town with my girlfriend, all duded up, this will be my goto. The red stain, and gold with a blue sapphire accent goes well with my favorite tie for smoking in our favorite restaurant. (treasure the places where we can smoke, instead of lamenting the places where we can't is my moto)
Bulldogs came about during the Art Nouveau movement, when handmade met industrialized innovations. These bullies were machine made, on frazing machines, that worked with pegs and slots to make these designs easily. The double cone comes from making the design fit the process. They first started capping them with gold, silver, and brass to make them more like a Dublin shape, of which men of high society would smoke while out on the town. And, as the pipes trickled down to the working classes, they'd rip those dandy caps off and found the design fit their hands most ergonomically, but they also fit a clench well. Thus, the bulldog was endeared to all civilized smokers from rich to poor.
I've already made some good bullies for smoking while doing manual work, and I have a few that are a bit dressier, and now I have my pipe for smoking while dressed to the 9's.
I hope you all enjoy the pictures, and happy smokes to all... ::
Next on the workbench is a stummel that I made and a bit of bamboo.

Thanks guys,

And I am smoking to their memory with an innaugural bowl of Star of the East.

Thank you,

I'm in Alabama. There are no laws regarding smoking here. The only places I can't smoke are all self-imposed by the owners or the corporations. But, I find that if I ask politely, almost anywhere will let me smoke. Our favorite place lets me set out on the balcony with a great view of the waterfall.

Thank you again,

Zack, I could have cast it, probably should have, so I would have been able to make copies in any metal afterwards. But, it would have taken a week to make the initial carving for a mold, invest it, and then cast it. But, then the castings would need to be severely altered to fit the specific pipes. It was easier to just pour the metal into an ingot, roll it out to thickness, make a partial box shape, and then carve the drips. That made it only take a few hours of time, verses days of prep work. After making one-of rings for decades, I've gotten pretty efficient at direct carving. castings get frustrating, in that they shrink in frustrating percentages that would have had me then shaving the inside of the band or the shank of the pipe to get a perfect fit that is tight enough to protect the fragile briar while keeping tension on the tenon. I just find direct carving to come to me more naturally and it is more precise.
This old briar is so old that the mortise walls being very thin just don't hold a tenon well, without cracking, so these bands are 5-sided boxes of sorts, with the thickest wall having a hole cut into them to take the pressure of the tenon, holding it tight, without putting any stress on the briar. I broke five stummels trying to make stems for them without a band. So...
Anyways, thanks again guys. I got lucky the other day and sold out of ALL of the rings that I had prepared for Black Friday (Yeh!), so as soon as I get my stock back up, I will finish up my bamboo pipe that I've been working on.
And, if any of you should want something for your wives and/or girlfriends for Christmas, just let me know. I'll give you the pipesmoker discount. ::

Thanks again,

And haha, I just trimmed my beard. It gets rather unruly at times ::