When we were thinking about a pipe maker to make a special 10th Anniversary pipe for Smokingpipes.com, Claudio was an obvious choice. We're huge fans of Claudio's work. He has a remarkable knack for making things special. His pipes are always beautifully executed. There are many brands we carry that we would be proud to bear the Smokingpipes.com stamp along with that of the maker, but Claudio was very much the perfect choice. We were delighted when Claudio agreed to make thirty pipes to celebrate our anniversary. Each one comes with a large, cast sterling silver band with Cavicchi's logo on top and '10 Ann' on the bottom. Each is also stamped with Smokingpipes.com's round pipe stamp and is numbered out of thirty. Each is also presented in Claudio's beautiful lovat shape (a particular favorite of his, and one he considers particularly demanding of the pipemaker). When we opened the box from Claudio, having arrived just a day before the Chicago pipe show where we'd planned to unveil them, we were giddy like little boys: these are just way too cool. Claudio did an even better job that we had hoped!

The gloss of the rich black finish really brings out the rings on this sandblasted example, a grain pattern which remains prominent all the way around the bowl, and even trails down the shank.

- Eric N. Squires