Question about Mastro Beraldi

I don't own a Mastro Beraldi, but I have admired them at various online sites -- smokingpipes.com and iwanries.com, among others. Iwan Ries

had several for sale for about a year (or more?) then sold them all in their annual pipe sale. The carver(s) seem to specialize in striking, contrasting

finishes, like deep rustication and bright smooth grain, and sometimes godets and bands. There was a Dublin I coveted but just couldn't quite

resolve the odd angle of its otherwise straight stem. I'm not sure about the toy-like quality you mention -- maybe the high finish and variation in

finishes? I haven't handled the pipes, and most of all, I haven't lived with one of them, to know. In any case, I too find them attractive but

quite design-forward. How they would set with me over time, I'm not sure. It's like a bright lemon yellow automobile; either it becomes your

personal trademark or it becomes a burden to your eyes.

I have 3 Beraldi's and like them very much.Two are rusticated and 1 is smooth. For whatever reason I find the rusticated pipes smoke cooler than the smooth finished one. Surface area heat displacement? Maybe, but I find them to be very fine pipes. Also, no two are alike so there are no numbers or nomenclature other than Made In Milan Italy.

I also have a couple of them, and like them quite well. The high gloss finish that they frequently use might lead you to feel that way, but whatever it is that they use, it doesn't seem to affect the smoking qualities. The Pierluigis put out some great-looking, unique pieces at a very fair price.
Russ

Rus hit the nail on the head. Quality pipes and made by the Pierluigi Shop. No single artisan makes the Mastro Beraldi line. The pipes are handmade but may have two or three different carvers working on each pipe.
Best,
Pipestud

I bought a Beraldi a few years ago at the Chicago show. At first I thought it was a lemon; the draft hole was too narrow to fit a thin pipe cleaner through, and the rustication was just plain ugly (no idea why I bought it). But once I opened up the airway I found that it smokes BEAUTIFULLY. The narrow airway is, from what I hear, a problem of the past, as the new ones are wide open.
I'm still no fan of the rustication but it's a GREAT pipe.

Here are 2 of mine. I happen to like the rustication and it smokes cooler than the smooth one.

I just ordered a beautiful Mastro Beraldi rhodesian pipe. Can't wait to receive it!

That´s the only Mastro Beraldi Estate I have done so far. Nice looking pipe but I will sell it anyway. It´s a bit too fancy for me....

I saw some "Pierluigi" stamped pipes on the bay a few weeks ago. I had never heard of them so I googled it and found out they were made by MB but for the Euro market. They looked fabulous and went for a decent price.